


Part of Your World

by SpaceButterflies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, How Do I Tag, Little Mermaid AU, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Pidge with female pronouns, Rating May Change, everyone except keith and coran are mermaids, lance is bi, slight Shallura, super original title™
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7645402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceButterflies/pseuds/SpaceButterflies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance is a young mermaid wanting nothing more but to explore the human world. When he falls in love with a young prince, he's willing to do anything he has to, in order to be with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"So, let me get this straight, we're swimming all the way out here based on a rumor?" Hunk demands from his friend. "Don't you think that's a bad idea?"

"You worry to much, Hunk! Only a few fish have been out here, so we're bound to find all sorts of treasure!" Lance comes to a halt when Hunk swims in front of him and blocks his path.

"Did you ever stop to wonder _why_ only a handful of fish come out here? What if there's sharks! " His face pales. "What would Shiro and Allura do to us if they found out we're out here!? That'd be even worse than sharks!"

"Hunk," Lance places a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, man. We'll be in and out before anyone knows we're gone, and, I'm not saying there are any, but if there _are_ sharks, we'll be half way back to Altea before they even know we were here." He swims around Hunk.

Hunk floats there for a moment before swimming after Lance."Pidge knows were out here!"

Lance scoffs. "Yeah, but Pidge is good at keeping secrets. Besides, she like when I bring her stuff."

"Then why don't you bring her along on your adventures?" 

"Because, Pidge isn't strong enough if there's something I need help lifting."Lance stops and looks back at Hunk. "Plus, she's the baby, they'd notice if she was gone a lot sooner than us."

Hunk's shoulders slump and he sighs in defeat. "Sure, man. If you say so."

 

Lance and Hunk soon come to their destination. Lance excitedly leans over a rock to examine the sunken ship. He lets out a groan when he feels Hunk shaking beside him.

"Oh c'mon, it's not _that_ scary," He huffed.

"I don't know, Lance." Hunk says as he sinks down. His eyes peeking over the rock. "What if it's haunted by ghost pirates?"

Lance rolls his eyes. "Pirates aren't real, Hunk." 

"Yes. Yes they are, don't you remember what they did to Shiro's arm?" Hunk glances at Lance nervously.

"You still believe in that silly old fish tale? Man, he just told us that so we wouldn't get to close to ships." The leaner mermaid states. "He probably lost his arm to a shark, or something." Lance hoists himself over the rock. "You can stay there if you're too scared." He swims off, leaving his friend to stay hidden in the rocks.

 

Hunk begins to chew on his lower lip. He presses his forehead to the rock before pushing himself away from it and swimming after Lance. He chooses to ignore the smug look he gets from the other mermaid and follows him into the ship. 

They swim around, in search of anything remotely interesting. Lance picks up a long tube-like object and wipes away the algae that had grown on the lenses. He holds it up to his eye and faces Hunk, surprised to see how far away he was. He lowers the item and raises an eyebrow in confusion to find that Hunk was within arm's reach. He repeats the action a few more times before stuffing the item in his pouch. 

Hunk watches Lance pick up and examine random items before placing them in his pouch. "What exactly are we looking for?" He asks. He picks up what he recognizes to be a necklace made of pearls. "You think Shay would like this?"

"Anything we can find!" Lance answers his first question before examining the pearl necklace. "You could give her a rock and she'd love it. Because it came from you." Lance coos teasingly and pinches his friends cheeks.

Hunk's cheeks turn red, both from embarrassment and Lance's pinching. He slaps his hands away. "Quit it."

Lance laughs and releases his cheeks before returning to his search.He rummages through a bunch of coins. He had plenty of coins, and didn't feel like he needed any more. He finds a small ornate box and shakes it next to his ear. There was something inside it. He tries to pry it open, only to discover that it's locked. Lance feels a small crank on the side of the box and he turns it.Watching in amazement as a small compartment on the top of the box opened. Some creature that looked similar to a sea gull begins to spin around as he turns the crank. He can hear very faint music coming from the box. 

Hunk looks up as a shadow is suddenly cast over the ship, plunging them in darkness. He swallows hard when he sees something large swim by. He swims over to Lance as he places the box in his pouch. Hunk reaches out to touch his shoulder.

"Lance, I think we should go." He says, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Pfft," Lance turns around to face Hunk. "If you're scared you can wait--" His voice catches in his throat when he sees a large eye staring at them. "Outside...." He grabs Hunk by the wrist and hightails it just as the large feeding tentacle of a giant squid comes crashing through. 

The two mermaids swim through the ship as it begins to crumble from the squids rampage. They swim through a hole in the hull, narrowly avoiding being grabbed by the squid. Lance scans the area and finds a cave and pulls Hunk to it. As expected, the squid follows them inside, crashing into the pillars and breaking them as the mermaids weave around them with ease. With the squid stalled by the pillars Lance and Hunk swim the to a dead end.

"Lance, he's gonna get us!" Hunk shrieks. 

"No he's not! Look!" Lance points upward. A light shines through the top of the cave. "That hole is too small for him to get through!"

"Yeah, but it's too small for me too!" Hunk begins to hyperventilate. "Oh, man, we're gonna die! We're gonna be squid food!"

Lance turns around and grabs Hunk by the shoulders. "Hunk! Listen to me! I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me." He gives him his signature smile.

Hunk takes a deep breath and calms down some. "Alright. I trust you."

"Good, now you go first and if you get stuck, I'll push you."

Hunk looks at Lance with hesitation before doing as instructed. Just as Lance predicted, Hunk gets stuck halfway through. He swims up and begins to push with all his might. From the corner of his eye he can see the squids feeding tentacles, which meant the squid was not far behind. He can feel Hunk begin to move upward as he pushes him, and eventually he breaks through the hole just as the squid charges at Lance. 

The squid's feeding tentacle begins to wrap around Lance's tail fin, just as the mermaid shoots upward and out of it's reach. The squid goes to follow, it's two feeding tentacles poking out of the hole and blindly grabbing for the two mermaids. Unknown to the squid the two were swimming as fast as they could to safety.

They come to a stop and look back. In the distance they can see the squid still grabbing around for them. Lance grins with triumph. His plan had worked. He can't help but let out a cry of victory just before Hunk pulls him into a tight hug. 

"We're alive!" Hunk cheers as he squeezes Lance. "You saved us! Oh my gosh, I thought we were as good as dead!" He releases Lance when he lets out a squeak. "How did you know that would work!?"

Lance gives Hunk a sheepish grin. "I figured there was a fifty fifty chance, so I took it." He swims off before Hunk could say anything. "C'mon! Let's go home!"

 

"Finally you're back!" A younger mermaid swims over to Lance and Hunk when they return. "I was getting tired of waiting."

"Oh gee, I'm sorry Pidge!" Lance says in mock concern. "I guess almost being _eaten_ by a giant squid made us a little slow today!" 

Pidge's eyes widen behind her glasses when she hears this. "You actually saw a giant squid? Lucky! I wish I was there to see it.."

"No. No you don't." Hunk says as the three swim towards Pidge's bedroom. 

They swim through the window and Lance pours the contents of his pouch onto the floor. He rubs at his tail fin, pulling a loose scale free while Pidge rummages through the pile. She lets out a small 'oh' in wonder as she examines the tube. She holds the small end to her eye and lets out a startled gasp when Hunk and Lance appear incredibly close. She lowers it, only to repeat the process.

"Fascinating..." She swims to her window and looks out of the tube at the scenery. "I can see things up to a mile away!" 

"What? But when I looked in it, Hunk looked like he was miles away!" Lance protests as he fiddles with the box some more.

"Well, maybe you were using it wrong," Pidge swims back over and sets herself on the ground. 

"Do you know what it is?" Hunk asks. 

"It's a flingteport." Pidge says matter-of-factually while adjusting her glasses. "Humans use them to see things from a distance." She watches as Lance tries to pry open the box in his hands. "Hang on, don't break it." She swims to her bed and pulls out a sharp flat tool before returning to the floor. "Hand it over."

Lance hands her the box and watches as she jams the knife in the seam and begin to wiggle it up and down until the box opens. The trio almost butt heads with one another as they peer inside the box. Inside the box was all sorts of human jewelry. Lance reaches in and pulls out a necklace. The pendant was hanging open. He carefully opens it and finds the fade picture of a woman. 

Lance stares at the woman in the photo a moment longer then closes the pendant. He begins examining his other finds. Pidge picks up something flat and round. It was made out of wood.

"This, this is very similar to our knights shields, so I assume that small humans would use these to defend themselves." She explains as Lance's face pales.

Lance lets out a panicked yell and begins to shove everything back in his pouch. "Shiro's going to kill me!" He shouts, snatching the shield away from Pidge. "I forgot my training _again!_ " He shoves his pouch in Hunk's arms. "Take this to our hideaway! I gotta go!" And with that he hurries out of the room. 

 

Lance slams into the wall as he speeds into the room with the other trainee's. He shakes his head and hears the the others laugh at him. Looking up he's met with a disappointed look from Shiro.

"I'm glad you actually decided to show up today." Shiro says as the younger mermaid straightens up. "Too bad class is over." The laughter from the other trainees gain his attention. They quiet down when he shoots them a look. He congratulates them for a hard days work and tells them to go home before turning back to Lance. "What's your excuse this time?"

"I was just, y'know, goofing off and I lost track of the time." Lance explains.

Shiro lets out a heavy sigh. "Lance, how do you expect to be a knight if you don't even show up for training?" He places his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Listen, you may not be able to graduate with your class this year. But if you start taking this seriously, you'll be able to graduate next year. I can help you."

"...I don't know if I want to be a knight anymore, Shiro." Lance pulls away and swims over to the window. "There's something more for me out there. I can feel it." He turns back to Shiro. A look of determination in his blue eyes. "I want to _explore_ Shiro! I want to see the human world! I want to know what it's like up there, to lay out on the sand in the sun!" 

Shiro watches as Lance swims around the room, going on about the human world. "They have so many wonderful inventions! They have boxes that can play music!" 

"Lance,"

"They have something called 'fire' and it burns when you touch it, but I don't know why!" 

"Lance," 

"I'd face ten giant squids if it meant I could spend just one day in the human world!"

"Lance!" Shiro grabs him by the arm. "Lance, stop it! Please." He makes Lance look at him. "Pidge's family. Her father and her brother, they wanted to see it too. _I_ , wanted to see it. So we went to the surface, and--" He trails off, releasing Lance and rubs his left arm. His hand brushes over where his arm became nothing more than a nub. "The human world is dangerous for us, Lance. I was lucky, I was able to get away. But Sam and Matt--" Shiro trails off again and grips Lance's shoulder once more. "Please, promise me you'll never go up there."

Lance looks at Shiro and pulls away. "I can't promise you that," He turns away. "I'm sorry." He swims off. 

 

Lance lies flat on his back in his hideaway, his eyes closed. Lazily turning the crank on the music box as he thinks about what Shiro had said. When he opens his eyes finds that Pidge and Hunk were hovering over him.

"You okay?" Hunk asks. He was obviously concerned.

"Yeah, you look a little blue," Pidge adds. "I mean, aside from your tail fin."

"Shiro says the human world is dangerous, and that I shouldn't go up there." Lance explains. He turns over and sets the music box down. "But that can't be right." He swims out of the hideaway. "It just can't be."

Pidge follows after him, dragging Hunk behind her. "You've been going up to shore for years, right? Watching from a distance as humans walk on the beach, right?"

"Yeah." Lance answers."But it's not enough." 

The three come to a halt when the can just barely make out the outline of a ship above the waves in the distance. Lance's eyes light up, and Pidge can see this. She grabs him by the wrist.

"Lance, no. It's dangerous." 

"Don't be such a stick in the sand," Lance says, jerking his arm away and swimming towards the ship. "I just want to take a closer look."

"Lance!" Pidge calls out and swims after him. 

Hunk glances nervously behind him. "Guys? I don't think we should--" He falls silent when he sees they're to far ahead to hear him. "Shiro's going to kill us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter everyone! I hope you like it!
> 
> A big thanks to everyone who gave kudo's and comments! It means so much to me! ♥

Lance, Hunk and Pidge reach the surface. Hunk shields his eyes from the bright moonlight, and Pidge brushes her hair away from her eyes. They look up in amazement at the grand vessel. They had only ever seen shipwrecks. So seeing a working ship this close was a new experience to them. 

Lance's eyes were so wide that Hunk worried they'd pop out at any given moment. Lance dives below the waves and swims closer to the vessel, ignoring the calls of protest from Hunk and Pidge. He resurfaces again, this time close enough to the ship to climb up it's hull, and peeks through an opening in the railing. His eyes grew wide when he saw all the people on board. They were all sorts of shapes, and sizes, and colors. 

A wide smile grows on his face. "I've never seen so many humans _this_ close before!" He says in a hushed tone. 

A high pitched laugh draws Lance's attention to two people near the mast. His grin, if possible, widens when he sees a young woman with blonde hair gathered into a ponytail. She wore a pink and white gown and spoke with an accent.

"So my father bought me this gown just for our meeting, you know." She says.

"Uh-huh," Came the response. 

Lance tried to look around the woman to find the source of the voice, but her gown was to large to see around. The voice belonged to a man, that much was sure. He sounded incredibly bored with the conversation.

"I almost chose one that was yellow, but it clashed too much with my hair, and I think the pink just looks so much better." She continues on about her dress. "Perhaps I should have gone with the yellow. You're wearing red, and red and pink tend to clash horribly."

"Uh-huh," 

She balls her hands into fists. "Are you listening to me?" She demands.

"Uh-huh," 

Lance forces himself not to laugh at this. Clearly her partner did not care about her fashion choice. The young woman's shoulders tense.

"How rude! I have a very long list of suitors, yet here I am, in the middle of the Goddamn ocean with _you_ , and you won't even give the courtesy of a proper conversation?!" She steps back when her partner stands up straight.

"No one forced you out here." He states. "And if you have such a long list of suitors, why don't you waste their time talking about your dumb dress? I'm sure one of them will give a shit." 

The woman strikes him across the face before storming off. Giving Lance a good look at the young man. His heart stops. Before him was a young man with porcelain skin, beautiful black hair, and purple eyes as deep as the ocean he called home. Lance finds himself leaning forward to get an even better look at him. He freezes when an older man approaches him.

"Goodness, you'll never get married at this point." The man says with a small laugh. "Quite the swing that one has, eh, your highness?"

"Coran, I've told you, I'm perfectly fine with dying alone." The prince says while rubbing his cheek. "And call me Keith."

Keith. His name was Keith. Lance mouths the word, his heart pounding in his chest. He watches as Keith leans against the mast. A red mark was beginning to form on his cheek.

"I know you feel that way now, your hi--" Coran clears his throat. "Keith, but once you meet the right girl, you'll change your mind."

"I doubt it. Every girl that father had picked out for me is crazier than the last." Keith explains. "I really wish father would have let _me_ decide who I married, but no. He decided it'd be easier to make a list of girls he approved for the sake of a treaty or something." He grumbles, waving his hand around before crossing his arms. He looks up at Coran when a hand is placed on his shoulder.

"Keith, your father, he wanted nothing more than for you to be happy. Even if it's with someone you were to meet on the street."

"Then he'd be fine with me dying alone," Keith says with a sigh. He pushes himself away from the mast and walks over to the railing.

Lance pulls away from the opening to avoid being seen. He presses his back flat against the ships hull and tries to calm himself. He runs a hand through his damp hair, just as Keith leans on the railing. 

"Don't look so glum," Coran says. He walks up next to the prince with his arms behind his back. "We'll be home come morning, and then we can start planning your birthday celebration."

Keith lets out a hum. He turns around and leans back on the railing. "I don't want anything big, Coran. Just a nice meal and maybe a cake."

"Are you sure? It is your eighteenth birthday after all."

"Coran, I'd rather be trapped on a boat with her," Keith jerks his thumb to the young woman he was talking to earlier. "For a week then have a big party full of stuck up snobs I don't know."

 

Lance stifles a laugh and looks up at the prince. He wore his hair in a small pony tail, allowing the mermaid to see a small mole on the back of his neck. Lance flinches when something hits him in the chest. It lands on his fin and he picks it up. It was a small shell. Looking down he can see Hunk and Pidge bobbing in the waves below, motioning that it was time to go. He shakes his head and Pidge points to the sky. 

Lance looks up at the sky. It had turned completely black with storm clouds, and lightning could be seen flashing from a distance. He wasn't too surprised when a heavy rain began to fall from the sky. Lance peeks through the railing again when he hears the panicked cries from the humans on the ship. The deck was utter chaos as crew members ran around, trying take control of the ship as the wind picks up. He scans the area for Keith, and he finds him trying to steady the mast with other members of the crew. 

The sea turns violent and a large wave crashes on the deck, effectively knock Lance and a few crew members into the water. Disorientated from the fall, Lance feels someone's arms hook under his armpits and begin to pull him back. When he regains his senses he looks back to find that Hunk was pulling him away from the ship.

Lance goes to say something, but the muffled screaming from above the waves gains his attention. Another large wave crashing on the side of the ship, turning it completely upside down. This forced the remaining people on board into the water. Lance pulls himself free from Hunk's grasp and watches as the humans swim to a lifeboat. He swims forward when he sees the young woman sinking. Her dress was weighing her down. His tail fin was grabbed, stopping him from going any forward.

"Lance, no! It's to risky!" Hunk cries.

"She's going to drown!" Lance protests, trying to pull himself free from Hunk's grip. But he was to strong. "Let me go!"

"Lance!" Pidge swims up beside him. "She'll be fine, look!" 

Lance turns back to the young woman, and he finds that Keith was cutting away at her dress with a knife. He had cut it just enough that he was able to strip her of it, leaving her in nothing more than what she wore underneath it. He wraps an arm around her waist and swims upwards.

They reach the surface and those in the lifeboat pull the young woman into the boat. Once she is secure, they reach out for Keith, another wave pulls the prince under before they can grab him. He struggles against the current, desperately trying to resurface. His limbs were getting heavy, and he was starting to get light headed from the lack of air. 

Lance's eyes widen when the mast of the ship knocks into Keith and he goes limp. He snaps his tail fin and swims forward as fast as he can, completely unaware of the fact that his friends were right behind him. Lance wraps his arms around Keith's chest and swims upward. It's only when Hunk helps him keep the human a float that he realizes he and Pidge were following him. Lance gives him a thankful smile and they begin to pull the unconscious prince to shore.

 

Lance brushes the hair from Keith's face, letting his fingers linger for a moment. They were safe on the sand. The storm had died down, but a light rain still fell from the sky. Lance gently takes hold of his chin and tilts his head some. He grimaces at the sight of a gash on the side of the human's head. 

"Okay, we've played with the dead human enough for one day," Hunk says, reaching for Lance's fin. "Time to go."

"He's not dead!" Lance protests, jerking his tail fin away. "At least, I don't think he is..." He runs his fingers through Keith's hair. "Pidge?"

Pidge scoffs. "Do I look like I know how humans work?" But still, she moved onto the sand and begins poking the human. "Hm," 

Lance watches as Pidge examines the prince, poking his chest and face. At one point she holds his hand to her ear. Lips pursed, Pidge listens for a heartbeat. She lets out a sigh and lowers his arm.

"He's gone, Lance." She says. She straightens her glasses. "I'm sorry. We weren't fast enough."

Lance's voice catches in his throat. He looks away from Pidge and turns to Keith. Lance places a hand on his chest, and looks back at the sea. The rain had finally stopped and dawn was beginning to break. His blue eyes widen when he feels the human's chest move under his hand. 

Lance's face lights up. "He's still breathing! He's okay!" He cups his face. "He's okay." 

Pidge returns to sea, and she gets a look from Hunk. "What? I'm not a doctor. _Especially_ not a human doctor." She shrugs.

 

Keith lets out a groan. His head was pounding and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He can hear three unfamiliar voices. They were bickering, that much was clear. Keith takes hold of the hand cupping his face. He opens his eyes, and although his vision is blurry, he's able to make out the boy above him. His tan skin and brown hair shining it the morning light.

Lance turns back to the human, gently running his thumb under his eye. "Keith..?" 

"What are you doing?!" Hunk hisses. "He's fine, let's go!"

Lance shoots the other mermaid a glare before turning back to Keith. Lance brushes his fingers over his forehead, lightly brushing against the gash. He pulls his hand away when the human lets out a pained groan. 

"Shh, you're okay. It's not that bad." Lance swallows hard before he dips down and presses his lips to the human's forehead. 

Pidge slaps her hands over Hunk's mouth to prevent him from shouting. She watches as Lance pulls away when the human begins coughing up sea water. He tries to sit up, but his lack of strength won't allow it. Lance is once again trying to calm him, and running his fingers through his hair. 

"It's alright," Lance tells him. He feels his cheeks become hot when Keith tightly grips his hand. "I...I'll stay with you until help comes, alright?" It was clear to him that Keith was still delirious. His eyes weren't as focused as they were when he first woke up. 

"Wait, what?" Pidge releases Hunk and swims back onto shore. "You're not staying here! What if you get caught by humans!?"

Lance doesn't bother to look up at her. "I won't get caught." He protests. He watches as the human slips back into unconsciousness. "I can't just leave him here."

Pidge goes to argue back, but Hunk beats her too it. "Lance, we've been covering for you and going along with you on your silly adventures for almost six years. But this? This is where I draw the line." He goes to grab for him. "We gotta go home!"

Lance looks at Hunk. He knew he was right. It was to risky for any of them to stay here. But, he couldn't just leave until he knew Keith was safe. The three mermaids tense up when they hear voices.

"I think I heard someone over here!"

Pidge takes Lance by the wrist and gives him a pleading look. Lance looks back at the prince and brushes his hair from his face one last time before following Hunk and Pidge into the ocean. He resurfaces and hides behind a rock and watches as two men rushed over to Keith. Lance's shoulders relax when he recognizes one of them from the ship. Hunk and Pidge pop up besides him, Pidge placing a hand on his shoulder.

They watch as Coran wakes Keith by gently shaking his shoulder. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they could see the relief on the mans face when Keith begins babbling. He hooks his arm behind his back and pulls him to his feet. Keith stumbles, and looks around with wide eyes. He leans on the older man who supports him when he begins to sink to the ground.

Lance watches as the two men help Keith walk away from the beach. He feels Pidge's hand slide off his shoulder. 

"If Shiro finds out, we're dead. If _Allura_ finds out then we're _really_ dead." Pidge says. "So no one tells them anything, and we get to live to see another day!" She claps her hands together. "If they ask where we were, we were with Shay." She declares before diving under water.

"What? Why do we have to bring Shay into this?" Hunk demands, diving in after her.

 

Lance presses his cheek to the rock, watching as the three humans vanish from his line of sight. He pushes himself away and dives under water after his friends. They were working on a convincing alibi. Lance takes one last look back at the surface before picking up speed and joining the other mermaids. 

 

"Why am I not surprised?" Shiro's voice snaps Lance from his daydream. "You actually _show up_ to training, only to spend the entire time day dreaming."

Lance stares at him. "Wait, class is _over?_ "

"Yes." Shiro responds. He swims to the door. "We need to talk."

 

Lance swallows the lump in his throat before following after Shiro. They swim in silence for a good while until Shiro finally breaks the silence with the simple question of; "Who is she?"

"....What?" Asks Lance. He comes to a halt. "There's no 'she'."

"Then who is _he_?" Shiro tries again. A grin on his face.

Lance cheeks turn red, and Shiro's grin only grows wider. "Just some guy I met the other night," He mumbles while scratching the back of his neck. It wasn't a total lie. "I haven't been able to get him out of my head since."

Shiro swims over to the younger mermaid. "Anyone I know?"

Lance's face pales. He couldn't just tell him he met a human against his wishes. "N-no. He's uh, he's from the....Well, I didn't catch where he was from, but he's not from around here. He was just passing through. He was lost and needed directions, so I helped him out."

Shiro stares at him with an eyebrow raised. "I see," Was all he said. 

Lance forces a smile. He glances around nervously. "How did you even know?"

"You're practically my younger brother at this point, Lance. I know the look on your face when you fall for someone." Shiro laughs at the 'oh' he gets in response. "But that's not the real reason I brought you out here."

"The what is?" 

Shiro runs a hand through his hair. "Well, yesterday you said you weren't sure if you still wanted to be a knight, and that's fine." He places a hand on Lance's shoulder. "I want you to be happy, Lance." He tells him with a kind smile on his face. 

Lance looks at him for a moment before he asks; "Does this mean I don't have to come to training anymore?"

"This means I want you to take some time and think about what you really want in life." Shiro answers. They both turn their heads when Shiro's name is called out. In the distance they can make out the Princess of Altea, Allura. She waved with her free hand when they looked over. In her other arm was a young child with white hair just like hers. Shiro pats Lance on the shoulder. "Just follow you're heart, Lance."

Lance watches as Shiro swims over to the Princess. The child in her arms becomes excited once he spots his father and begins grabbing for him. A smile forms on Lance's face as he watches them. The smile quickly turns into his signature grin and he swims off towards the hideaway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, I cannot promise how regularly I'll be able to update. Especially this week since I'm going to my brothers house for the weekend. But I'll do my best to release at least one chapter once a week!
> 
>  
> 
> If you're interested, you can find me on tumblr! @in-tomany-fandoms


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow I got this done fast! This chapter is fairly short though. lol. Enjoy !

Days later, Lance lazily glides through the ocean. He was humming some nameless tune and doing little spins every now and then as he swam to the hideaway. He hears a few mermaids giggle at his behavior, and he turns to shoot them a grin which only caused them to giggle louder. Lance swims through a group his class mates and promptly gives one of them a flirtatious wink before speeding off and leaving him red in the face. 

Lance soon comes to the hideaway, none to surprised to find that Pidge was already there examining some human gadget. Floating beside her was her pet spiny dogfish, Rover. 

"Hey Lance," She greets him without even looking up. 

"Hey Pidge," Lance says as he swims over and sits himself on a rock. "Anything going on today?"

"Nothing of interest." Pidge responds. "Still soul searching?"

"Yeah."

 

They fall silent for the longest while. The only sound that could be heard was that of Pidge tinkering away with some metal container. Rover had since swam over to Lance and began nudging him until Lance began to pet him. Lance runs his hand up and down the shark's head, being careful not to touch his dorsal fin. 

Pidge sets down the container and looks back at Lance when he begins to hum. "You're humming." She points out. "You never hum."

"I do so hum." Lance protests.

"The only other time I heard you hum is when you fell for Ny--" Pidge pauses mid word. "You're in love again, aren't you?"

Lance scoffs. "What do you mean _again_?"

Pidge rolls her eyes. "Please, you fall 'in love'," She uses air quotes around the word. "At least once a month."

Lance puts a hand to his chest. "I don't know _what_ you're talking about, and frankly I am offended." He says with a huff and crosses his arms. 

"Uh-hu, sure." Pidge turns back to the container.

Lance makes himself more comfortable, his tail fin slapping against the rock he was sitting on. He bites his lip before blurting out; "I think I'm in love with Keith." He hears the metal container fall with a thud onto the sand floor.

"What?!" Pidge shrieks. She swims over to him. "But he's a...He's a _human_!" She hisses in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, and I'm a mermaid. You're point?"

"We're two entirely different species! You can't--" She trails off. "I mean, it's probably just another crush, Lance. Besides, you hardly know him."

Lance pushes himself from the rock. "Which is why," He starts. "Starting tonight, I'm going to swim up to his castle, get his attention, and talk to him!"

"Lance, that's insane! _You're_ insane!" 

Lance scoffs and swims towards the entrance. "It may be insane, but, Shiro told me to follow my heart and that's what I'm doing." He's forced to a halt when Pidge grabs him by the tail. "Let go."

"Lance, _please_! Don't do this." Pidge pleads with him. 

Just then, Hunk enters the hideaway. "What shouldn't Lance do?" He questions.

"Lance has a crush on the human!" 

"It's not a crush! I've had plenty of crushes before. This is different!" Lance protests. He breaks free from Pidge's hold only to wind up being wrapped in Hunk's arms. "Let go!" He shouts, struggling to break free.

Hunk holds him tight. "I can't let you go, Lance. You could get hurt and I'd never forgive myself!"

Lance stills in his arms. "Hunk..." He sighs. "Okay fine. I won't go up to shore." He says. "I'll just be alone and miserable for the rest of my life." He adds. He then pretends to faint in Hunk's arms, in the most melodramatic way possible.

"You may be alone and miserable, but that's okay because you'll still be alive." Hunk states calmly and pats Lance on the head. 

Lance cracks an eye open and looks at him.. "You're concern is overwhelming." 

 

"Say, have you noticed anything off about Lance?" Pidge asks Hunk. It had been a few days since they were able to convince Lance to stay away from shore. "He hasn't been himself."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Hunk answers. "He's not going on treasure hunts anymore. I'm getting worried. Should we talk to him?" 

Before Pidge can answer a mermaid swims over to them. She was one of Allura's assistants. 

"You two," She calls out. "The Princess and her husband want to speak with you. Something about Lance." The mermaid states flatly. "They're in the throne room." She adds before swimming off.

"They know." Hunk whispers and his face pales. "They know and we're dead."

"Don't jump to conclusions, Hunk." Pidge gives him a comforting pat on the arm. "We best go see what they want."

 

They swim off towards the castle. Just before they enter the throne room, Pidge smacks Hunk with her tail fin to get him to stop repeating himself. When they enter the room, they find the couple chatting. Allura sees them enter and clears her throat.

"You wanted to see us, Princess?" Hunk questions. His voice higher than average.

"Yes," Allura nods her head. "Have either of you noticed anything different about Lance?" She asks. "He's been so sad as of late, and, well, you two are his best friends so I assumed you would know."

 

"We actually don't know, Princess." Pidge answers. "We were just about to go talk to him about it."

 

"I see," Allura puts a hand to her chin in thought. "It's so strange, seeing Lance so sad all the time. Not making any of jokes or playing pranks on anyone...I don't like it." She declares. "Not one bit."

 

"Maybe he's upset about the guy he met a few days ago?" Shiro wonders out loud. Bot Hunk's and Pidge's faces turn pale. 

Allura raises an eyebrow. "What guy?"

Shiro shrugs his shoulders. "He didn't give me any names. He just said that me met a boy and he hasn't stopped thinking about him since." He turns to Hunk and Pidge. "You two wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

The two younger mermaids look at each other. They both open their mouths to speak, but no words come out. Hunk begins to chew on his fingers as he feels the Princesses eyes on him. 

Hunk takes a breath to calm himself down, and he ends up blurting out; "We tried to stop him! But he wouldn't listen!"

"He _never_ listens!" Pidge adds. 

"There was this ship, and Lance wanted to see it--" Hunk continues. He was beginning to swim in circles. 

"We _all_ wanted to see it! And we will take whatever punishment you see fit!" Pidge interrupts. "So we swam up to the surface to get a better look and--" Hunk interrupts her.

"And this crazy storm just came out of nowhere!" Hunk stops pacing when he bumps into Pidge. "And then the next thing I know we're all on shore with a dead human--"

"Only he wasn't dead!" Pidge says. "He was alive, and Lance, he--" She's interrupted by Hunk again.

"He _kissed_ him! He kissed him and now he's in love with him and--" Hunk falls silent when Allura raises a hand.

"You did the right thing, saving that human," She says much to their surprise. "But you still should have told me the moment you returned from shore!" She shouts. "You were lucky that these humans didn't see you, as not all of them are kind and most would sooner capture us than ask our name."

Shiro, breaks his silence. "I've told you time and again not to go to the surface, and you all deliberately diso--" 

"I really don't think _you_ are in any position to tell them not to go to the surface." Allura interrupts him. He goes to protest but stays quiet. "I'll work out a proper punishment for the three of you later. But for now, go and tell Lance to come speak to me. _Immediately._ "

"Yes, Princess." They say in unison and swim off. 

"Allura--" Shiro says her name.

"I know," Allura turns to him. "I _know_. But we of all merpeople have no place to be mad at him for this." She links fingers with him. "After all, we were young and in love too."

"We may not be as young as we were before, but we're still in love." Shiro says. He smiles and kisses her knuckles. 

 

An hour passes, and Pidge rushes into the throne room. Shiro grabs her by the waist to stop her from slamming into anything. 

"Pidge, what's wrong?" He asks when he takes note of her panting.

"We can't find Lance!" She shouts and straightens up. "We looked all over! We checked all his usual hangouts, the hideaway, his room, but he's gone!"

"What?" Allura gasps. She swims over to the younger mermaid and her husband. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"He's gone! Hunk has gone up to shore to see if he's there, but he's never just vanished before!" 

"I'm going after Hunk," Shiro says. "You two stay here in case he comes back." He goes to swim off, but Allura grabs him by the arm.

"Shiro, you haven't been to the surface since--" Her voice catches in her throat. She can't bring herself to say it. 

Shiro smiles gently and kisses her forehead. "I'll be okay, Allura. I'll be okay." He feels Allura let him go. "I'll find him, Allura. Don't worry." He gives her one last smile and swims off.

 

Elsewhere, deep in the sea, so dark that you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face. Lance swims through the dark water. He was being lead by two mermaids, who would other wise be invisible had it not been for their bioluminscent scales. They lead him through the dark water and to an underwater cave.

"Are you coming?" One asks. It's voice was sickeningly sweet. A shiver runs down Lance's spine. He could see their skeletons through their paper thin skin. The mermaid tilts it's head and asks again. "Are you coming?" The mermaids large eyes stare at him.

Lance swallows the lump in his throat. "Are you....Are you sure she can help me?"

"Of course," The other mermaid says. It's voice was more masculine than the others. "The sea witch helps all those in need."

"For a price," The first one adds, and they both snicker. The mermaid swims over to Lance. "What would it hurt to discuss things with her? She'll help you be with your human prince, but only if you were to agree to her price."

"Yes," The second swims over, and they begin to circle Lance. Making him dizzy. "Should you decline her offer, we'll gladly escort you back to Altea."

Lance swallows the lump in his throat. Ignoring the feeling in his gut that was telling him to turn around and go home. "Take me to her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to include Rover somehow guys. I mean. How could I not?
> 
>  
> 
> If you have any questions or anything, feel free to send me an ask on tumblr! @in-tomany-fandoms


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the fourth chapter guys! Thank you for all your support so far! ♥♥♥

"I shouldn't be following you all the way out here." Lance says.

"You want to see this human, don't you?" One mermaid asks.

"Didn't you say you were desperate, and willing to do anything?" The other adds.

"Yeah." Lance replies. "I've always heard stories of the sea witch granting wishes, so I guess it's worth a shot."

 

He follows the mermaids through the dark cave, and suddenly it's lit up by all sorts of bioluminscent fish, giving the area a strange sort of lighting. 

"Stay here," One of the mermaids instructs. They both swim off deeper into the cave. 

Lance looks around the cave as he waits. There were strange bottles sitting on shelves that were most likely carved into the cave. But what really caught his attention was the strange coral that stuck out from the ground, and even the walls. The color had a strange shape. A strangely familiar shape, that for the life of him, he couldn't name. 

"So you're the young mermaid in love with a human." A voice calls out to him. The sea witch appears, she was a cecaelia. Like the mermaids, she too was bioluminscent. 

Lance stiffens when it feels like her solid yellow eyes were looking straight through him. The sea witch was very thin, with a sickly purple skin color, and long, stringy white hair. Lance thanks Poseidon that her skin wasn't see through like her servants. He visibly shudders when one of the witch's tentacles cups his face. The sea witch stares at him for a moment longer, then she grins. 

"I'll help you child," She says. Her tentacle pats his cheek. "You need something more than just a way to see him...What you need is to be human."

Lance's eyes widen. "Can you...Can you really do that?"

"It's what I do, boy. Helping those without any other option is what I live for." The witch swims to the shelves and pulls forth a few bottles. She shakes them, examining their contents then mixes them together before drinking the concoction. "I know a spell that can turn you into a human for three days," 

Lance jumps when three of her tentacles are in his face. The tentacles wrap around his arms and pulls him towards her. "Before the sunsets on the third day, you've got to get the prince to kiss you. But not just any kiss, the kiss of true love. Now, if he does kiss you before the third sunset, you'll remain human, permanently."

"And if he doesn't kiss me?" Lance questions.

"If he doesn't, you turn back into a mermaid." The sea witch responds. "And," She starts, her tentacles tightening around Lance's arms. "You belong to _me_."

"If I become human, I'll never see my friends again," Lance mumbles. 

"That's right! And what's more, your princess is due to be crowned queen tonight, isn't she? Seems your going to miss the big night." The sea witch cackles.

"How did you--"

"I have eyes and ears all over the sea, my child. Oh! Before we continue, we haven't discussed my fee."

"I have plenty of human items that I could--" Lance is interrupted when a tentacle is clamped over his mouth.

"I don't require material items." She states in a flat tone. "No, what I want from you is, your voice."

"...My voice? But how am I supposed to talk to--"

"Actions speak much louder than words, my boy. And with a handsome face like yours," She takes hold of his chin. "You'll be just fine." The sea witch releases him and pats his cheek. "Have we got a deal?"

Lance hesitates before he nods. The sea witch snaps her fingers and scroll and a pen made from the skeleton of a fish appear before him. He takes both in his hands, and takes a deep breath before signing his name on the dotted line. The moment he lifts the pen from the scroll, it vanishes from his hands and into the hands of the sea witch. She cackles, and Lance feels something force itself down his throat. Before he can fully register what's happening, the two bioluminscent mermaids seize his arms and drag him out of the cave and upwards with remarkable speed.

 

"He's not here," Hunk announces as he swims over to Shiro. "You don't think he got captured, do you?"

"God, I hope not..." Shiro mumbles as looks up to the castle near the shore. He soon turns away from it when feeling a knot in his stomach. "Are you sure you looked all around?"

"Yes, I am. But he's not here..." Hunk bites his lower lip. He looks to Shiro. "You need to get back to the castle, the coronation is in a few hours." He turns back to land. "I'll stay here, just in case."

"Hunk--"

"I'll be fine, Shiro. I promise. I''ll come home in another hour." He gives the older mermaid a reassuring smile.

Shiro goes to speak, but the sudden sound of coughing stops him. He and Hunk turn towards the source of the sound, and they can easily make out the forms of two mermaids. 

"Who are they?" Hunk wonders out loud.

Shiro's eyes widen when realization hits him. "No," Before Hunk can ask him what's wrong, the older mermaid speeds off towards the noise. When he reaches the surface, he finds Lance, roughly coughing and rubbing his neck. The younger's tail fin had been replaced with a pair of legs. "Lance!" He calls out, and watches as the, now human, teenager tense.

Lance turns to him, and tries to speak. But no words come out, so instead he gives the mermaid a look of shame. Shiro swims closer, and begins to rub Lance's back when he begins coughing again.

"You went to Haggar, the sea witch, didn't you?" Shiro asks. A nod is his response. "You little--" He stops himself from saying something he'll regret. "You stay here, I'll get Allura and we'll change you back." He sees Lance shake his head. "No? What do you mean no?" 

Lance looks back at him with a pleading look and holds up three fingers. 

"You only need three....Weeks?" Shiro guesses, and Lance shakes his head, motioning for him to go lower. "Days...?" He tries again, and this time Lance nods. "Three days...Three days, with legs, and no voice. Right." He trails off. 

"Lance?" Hunk calls out in amazement. He swims over to shore. "What happened?"

"He sold himself to the sea witch so he could be human for three days," Shiro explains.

"What?! Why?!" Hunk demands. Lance makes a heart with his hands, and a goofy grin grows on his face. "You did this so you could get to know that Keith guy?!"

"Keith?" Shiro repeats. He groans and falls backwards into the water. He resurfaces and brushes his hair from his eyes. "Alright. We can work through this. It's three days. We have three days for Keith to fall in love with Lance, and to find a loophole in this contract just in case." He runs his hand through his hair. "I won't be able leave the kingdom much after tonight, so Hunk, I need you to fill Pidge in on the situation, and help Lance here the best you can."

"Yes sir!" Hunk salutes him and dives under water to do as he's told.

Shiro looks around and dives under water. He soon resurfaces with a piece of human clothing that most likely was left behind from a ship wreck. He tosses it to Lance. "Put those on." Lance looks at the item with confusion. "One leg in each hole, Lance." Shiro can't help but chuckle as he watches Lance struggle with the clothes. 

It's only when he finally figures out how to get the garment on that Lance finally registers that he has legs, and he is ecstatic. Shiro can't help but smile as Lance inspects his new legs.

"Try standing, Lance. Use that rock for support if you have to." He instructs. He watches Lance push himself up to his feet. His legs wobbled and he ends up leaning on the rock. "You're doing great, Lance." Shiro says, a hint of pride in his voice. Lance simply nods his head and stands upright with a look of triumph on his face. 

Shiro watches as Lance tries to walk, only to loose his balance and fall back onto the sand. Shiro chuckles and swims closer to shore. 

"Lance, listen to me," He says and Lance gets into a sitting position. "The boy you've done this for...Keith, he's the prince of this kingdom, isn't he?" Lance nods, and Shiro purses his lips. "I thought as much." He takes a breath. "If what I've heard is true, he's a very tough nut to crack, Lance. You won't win him over easily. Especially if you can't speak."

Lance frowns, and leans back on his elbows, just as Hunk and Pidge surface.

Pidge's eyes widen at the sight of Lance and she swims forward. "You have legs! Hunk told me but I couldn't believe it!" She pulls herself onto shore. "What's it like?"

Lance raises one finger and goes to speak. His finger curls and he closes his mouth. Lance shrugs his shoulders and tries standing again. 

"He can't speak, Pidge." Shiro tells her. "He traded his voice for a pair of legs."

"You know what?" Pidge asks, watching as Lance attempts to walk again. "I'm not surprised. When Lance gets an idea or wants something, he does everything and anything he can to get it."

"I know the feeling..." Shiro mumbles. He clears his throat. "I have to go back to Altea to get ready for tonight. I'll fill Allura in on everything, but you two need to try and help Lance the best you can." 

"Alright but," Pidge starts as Lance looses balance once again. "How do you suggest we do that?"

"Just watch out for him and--" Shiro's voice catches in his throat when a small creature runs over to Lance and begins licking him. Hunk lets out a startled yelp and hides behind the elder mermaid. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you," Shiro explains as the animal licks Pidge's face when she goes to inspect it. 

She shudders and dives back in the water. Popping up behind Shiro she asks; "What _is_ that?" She demands. She watches in disgust as Lance lets the creature climb on him and lick his face. It was white with red markings and had blue eyes.

"It's a puppy," Shiro tells her.

"What's a puppy?" Hunk asks as he peaks ove Shiro's shoulder.

"A young dog," Shiro explains, his dark brown eyes scan the area. "His owner must be nearby...We need to hide." He says just as a sharp whistle is heard. 

The three mermaids hide behind a gathering of rocks, out of sight, but they could still see and hear everything that was going on. 

"Coda!" A voice calls out, causing Lance to tense up. "C'mere, Coda!" Lance sits up right, the puppy falling into his lap as his owner appears from around the corner. 

_Keith._

The puppy scrambles out of Lance's lap and rushes over to Keith and begins yapping. Keith bends down to pick up the dog, and finally takes note of Lance. His purple eyes widen upon seeing what a mess Lance is. 

"Are you okay?" He asks and approaches him. Keith sets the dog down and helps keep Lance upright when he sees him having trouble standing. "Did you fall over board? Was there a wre--" Keith's voice catches in his throat when he finally looks at Lance's features. "You...You look familiar, have we met?"

Lance's eyes light up and he nods his head. His cheeks become hot when Keith smiles. The young prince runs a hand through his hair while he looks Lance up and down before asking; "What's your name?"

Lance goes to speak again, but no words come out. He frowns and rubs his neck, giving Keith a look of sadness. It doesn't take to long for Keith to put two and two together. 

"You can't speak?" Lance nods again. "Then you can't be who I thought..." 

"Oh, co--" Pidge is silenced by Hunk when he clamps his hands over her mouth. 

Hunk looks to Shiro. The way he was staring at Keith with regret swimming in his eyes. Hunk's eyes narrow in suspicion but he turns back to Lance. Lance is trying to tell Keith who he was using his hands. He keeps gesturing to the ocean and moving his arm. 

Keith looks to the water when Lance gestures to it. He looks back to Lance with a confused look. "You were...In the water?" Lance nods and he continues to make odd gestures with his hands. "Hey, hey, slow down. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me." 

Lance huffs and points to himself, then back to the ocean and makes swimming motions with his arms. A sudden wave of dizziness hits him and he stumbles. His cheeks become hotter when Keith supports Lance with a hand around his waist. 

"Well, whatever happened, it must have shaken you up quite a bit." Keith says. "Let's get you a doctor." He begins walking Lance away from shore. "Come on Coda!" 

 

The puppy, who had just found the trio of mermaids, looks back to his owner before hurrying after him. The three mermaids wait until they were out of sight to emerge from their hiding spot. 

Hunk releases Pidge, and hears Shiro mumbles something under his breath. It didn't go unnoticed by Pidge either, and they look to one another. 

"I've got to go," Shiro says. "Just keep an eye on Lance the best you can, alright?"

"But how are we supposed to help him?" Pidge asks. "We're stuck in the water, it's not like we can just follow him." She adjusts her glasses. "I mean, yeah we can follow him as long as he's near the ocean, but, when he's too far off shore..." She trails off.

Shiro hums in thought. "You're right...." He curses under his breath. "Then, Lance is going to have to work things out on his own." Shiro gives one last look to the land and sighs heavily before diving back under water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith has husky puppy. he's a dog person. Fight me
> 
> Thank's again for taking the time to read my silly au. If you want to talk to me about anything feel free to contact me on tumblr; @in-tomany-fandoms


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that.
> 
> another chapter.
> 
> enjoy !

"So you just found him on the beach?" Coran asks. He and Keith were in the dining room. Coran adjusting his napkin while Keith lazily plays with his silverware.

"Yeah." He replies. "He's been through a lot. I know the doctor said he's perfectly fine, but I can't help but feel concerned. He's been out at sea for who know's how long and he can't even tell me his name."

"Perhaps we should teach him sign language? Or perhaps he can speak to us with notes." Coran suggests. 

Keith stops playing with his fork and sets it back down. "Yeah...Yeah that could work, we can try the note thing during dinner." He pushes himself away from the table and goes to leave. He stops in his tracks when a maid near his age leads Lance into the room. 

Keith's face flushes and he begins chew the inside of his cheek. A nervous habit he developed as a child. Lance wore a suit similar to his own, only in blue rather than red. When the young prince catches himself staring, he shakes his head and clears his throat. 

"You, um, look down. _Nice_ , you look _nice_." He corrects himself. "We should, sit ni--" He groans. "We should sit _down_." He face turns red when he hears Coran chuckle. 

Keith leads Lance to the table and the maid gives him a knowing look. Before she can leave, Keith takes her by the wrist. He leans over and whispers something to her and she nods before leaving the room. Keith turns back to his guest and sits down next to him.

"So...How would you feel about learning sign language?" Keith asks and Lance simply tilts his head. "You know, sign language. " To demonstrate Keith makes a few gestures with his hands. "I can teach you, if you want." He signs as he says this. 

Lance egarly nods his head, he'd be spending time with Keith. Of course he'd want to. His heart nearly stops at the smile he gets in response. The prince had an absolutely beautiful smile. Just then, the maid returns with a journal and a pen. She sets them down on the table next to Lance. 

"That's a journal," Keith explains as Lance flicks through it's empty pages. "Use it to wite down your thougths, or if there's something you need to tell us." He watches as Lance takes the pen in his hands and begins writing. Lance turns the journal to him. "...Lance?" He reads. "Your name's Lance?" Lance nods his head. "It's nice to meet you, Lance." He repeats the name two more times. "My name is Keith," He holds out his hand fo Lance to shake. But awkwardly pulls back when Lance just stares at him with confusion. 

Clearing his throat, Keith turns to Coran. "This is Coran."

"How do you do?" Coran smiles at him from across the table. 

 

After dinner, Keith and Lance can be found in the castles library. Keith was in the middle of teaching Lance how to introduce himself using sign language, along with basic conversation. With every word he would say, Keith would sign it and half Lance copy him.

"You're doing great Lance. You're a fast learner." Keith compliments. "My mother was deaf, so it's second nature to me." Keith explains. "Everyone in the castle knows it, so if you ever need anything, they can help you." 

_"Thank you."_ Lance signs. 

Keith smiles and looks to the clock in the corner. He stands up and says; "It's almost midnight. We need to get to bed." He gestures Lance to follow him. "I'll show you to your room. Maybe tomorrow I can show you around the kingdom." Keith muses. "Of course we'd continue your lessons. Sound good?" He looks to Lance and he nods his head. 

They continue to walk down the hall until Lance stops infront of a portrait of a man, woman and two boys. One of them he recognized to be Keith, no older than eight or nine. The man he assumed was his father, and the woman his mother. The older boy in the portrait is what confuses Lance the most. He looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on why that is.

"That's my family," Keith says as he walks over to look at the portrait. "I was young when this was painted. I remember I wanted to go play so bad that I wouldn't sit still." He laughs at the fond memory. "It's the last thing we did together as a family..." He frowns, he can feel Lance's gaze on him and he continues. "About a week or so after this was painted, my older brother vanished. There are rumors about what happened. Some say he was kidnapped, some say he died, and others say he ran away. Personally, I believe that he ran away."

 _"Why?_ " Lance signs, a look of concern on his face. 

"He was in love with some girl, and father wouldn't let him be with her because he was already promised to be someone elses husband." Keith explains. "I remember he came into my room late one night and apologized, and then I never saw him again." He feels Lance place a hand on his shoulder. "I guess that's why father decided to give me a choice when it comes to my eventual bride. Because not letting my brother marry for love is what drove him away..." Keith forces a smile, unable to hid the crack in his voice. He leads Lance away from the portrait. "We need to get to bed if we plan on going sight seeing in the morning."

Lance nods his head but looks back at the portrait one last time. He looks away, unable to shake the feeling that he _knew_ Keith's elder brother from somewhere. 

 

"Lance did _what?!_ " Allura demands. The coronation had only just ended. "What do you _mean_ he went to the sea witch?!" 

"Just what I said." Shiro responds. The newly crowned king looks away from his queen. "He went to her and traded his voice, and his soul for _three days_ to be a human." He looks back to Allura when she cups her face. 

"My love," She speaks. "We _will_ find a way to save him from her clutches, and we _will_ bring him home."

"He really loves him, Allura," Shiro says and places his hand over hers. "What if he decides to stay on land?"

"Then we let him." Allura states. She reaches up to adjust the crown on his head. "After all," She kisses him. "We have no room to judge." 

"I need to go to her and get Lance out of this contract." Shiro says. 

"You can't," Allura responds. "Not now. We have an entire kingdom to look after now." 

"But Allura--"

"No buts, Shiro." Allura looks up at him. "We can send someone in our stead."

Shiro chews on his bottom lip. "Hunk and Pidge. She wouldn't be as suspicious of them as she would a knight."

"Are you sure? What if she were to convince them to make a deal with her?" Allura questions.

"Allura, trust me. They'll be just fine.."

Come morning, Lance walks along side Keith as the prince leads him through town. But really, it was more of Lance wandering off and Keith following him to explain whatever had caught his eye was. Lance watches as Keith talks to a man sitting at a stall. He hands the man some coins and the man in turn hands him something wrapped in paper. Keith rejoins Lance and holds out one of the things to him.

"Here, eat up," Keith says. 

Lance hesitates before taking the item. It was warm in his hands. He unwraps it and the scent fills his nose. He bites into it. It was soft and sweet and seemed to melt in his mouth. Keith hums and takes a bite of the snack. He leads Lance to a bench and they sit down and Lance begins to sign.

 _"What is this?"_

"It's sweet bread," Keith tells him. "My mother would bring me and my brother to get these every morning." He explains. 

They sit there, eating the bread in silence. Lance finishes his first and he stretches his arms. He watches as a young girl runs over to them with a basket of flowers. She reaches into the basket and holds out a small bouquet.

"Would you like some flowers, sir?" She asks. "They're fresh from mama's garden."

Keith smiles and asks; "How much are they?"

The little girl shuffles her feet. "Three silver pieces," 

"I'll take one then," Keith says and takes out three silver pieces. He hands them to the little girl in exchange for the flowers.

"Thank you!" The little girl says before she runs off to sell more flowers. 

Lance watches as Keith pulls a flower from the bouquet. Keith leans over and tucks the stem behind Lance's ear. Keith chuckles when Lance's cheeks turn red. 

"Brings out your eyes," Keith says and Lance blushes even more.

 

Lance follows Keith through town. The towns people would stop and greet them. An elderly woman even giving them rings made from flowers. They seemed to be having a festival of sorts. Curious, Lance asks Keith what the festival was for. 

"This week marks the 500th anniversary of when this kingdom was founded." Keith explains. "There's usually a festival each year, usually lasts a day, but every century it's a week long. So I've been told anyway."

 

Lance can hear music from a distance and takes hold of Keith's arm and pulls him toward the sound. They come across a small band and a group of people dancing along. Lance watches the townspeople in their merriment stiffening up when a young woman takes him by the hands and tries to get him to dance with her.

"Go on, Lance, it's fun." Keith encourages him. Lance shakes his head. "Can't you dance?" He shakes his head again and the young woman lets out an 'oh' and quickly apologizes. Keith looks back to the dancers and leans over to Lance. "I can teach you," He holds out his arm to Lance. "Unless you're too _scared_?" He challenges. 

Lance gets a look of determination on his face and seizes Keith by the arm. Accepting his challenge, Lance all but drags Keith into the crowd. They link arms, and begin the dance. When the song finally ends, Lance and Keith end up being pressed together by their chests. It was then that Lance finally noticed that he was taller than Keith. Keith lets out a laugh and takes Lance by the wrist and drags him off. 

"There's some place I want to show you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact; a good portion of this chapter was originally part of Chapter 4 but I and my friend/proof reader felt it was to long, so I cut it and added it to this one instead !
> 
>  A big thanks to The_Good_Witch_of_Babble for giving me the idea of Keith teaching Lance sign language! 
> 
> Feel free to come and talk to me on tumblr @in-tomany-fandoms


	6. Chapter 6

Lance follows Keith back towards the castle, and soon they came to what seemed to be a wall of ivy. He watches as Keith pulls the vines to the side, revealing the inside of a cave. Lance steps in and follows Keith through the tunnel. He can hear water. The reason for this was soon made apparent when they come to a water fall at the mouth of the cave. 

"Can you swim?" Keith asks. A nod was his response. "Alright then, follow me," Keith says before diving into the water. 

Lance hesitates for a moment before following after him. The moment he hits the water, he feels at home. That is until his lungs begin too burn from lack of air. He feels a hand grab his arm and pull him up.

"Are you trying to drown yourself?" Keith asks as he pulls Lance out of the water. Once he does he removes his wet shirt. "You can't stay under tha--" He stops talking when he notices Lance staring. "What?" He follows his gaze to a large purple blotch on his side. "Oh, that. I was injured in a ship wreck about two weeks ago." He explains. "It doesn't hurt anymore." To prove his point, Keith presses down on the blotch and doesn't even flinch. 

Lance nods his head and looks around. The sun shines through cracks and holes that were made in the ceiling. The mouth of the grotto lead to the shoreline, where he could see sea gulls flying around and snatching up fish.

_"What is this place?_ " He signs.

"It's where my brother and I would come to play," Keith says, he picks up an old wooden sword. "Where he would teach me how to fight," He continues while swinging the sword around "We'd sneak out here almost day. But then he left." The sword falls from his hand with a small 'thud'. "He left and I hid here for three days until Coran found me."

Keith sits down next to him and puts his feet in the water. "After that, I didn't come back until mother died." He lies back on the ground. "So now, I just come here when I need to clear my head. But, I wanted to show it to you."

They fall into an awkward silence that lasted until well after sunset. Lance looks up at the night sky. He only had one more day. He begins to kick his feet in the water, glancing at Keith every now and then. He jolts when Keith suddenly breaks the silence.

" _God_ , I wish you were the person who saved me!" He shouts in frustration. "I really like you, Lance," He looks up at him. "But I haven't been able to get him out of my head ever since. I remember he told me it was going to be alright. That _I_ , was going to be alright, and then he kissed my forehead." He sits up. "And then he just vanished...Coran said I was imagining it, and that it was probably because I hit my head and swallowed to much sea water. But that can't possibly be the case...It felt so _real_ , you know?" 

All Lance could do was put on a smile and nod, wishing he could tell Keith who it was that saved him. Who it was that assured him he would be okay. That kissed him. But Keith would never believe him. Not without his voice.

"I've had more fun with you today, than I have in ten years." Keith says and he leans closer. "There's something about you. I don't know what it is, but," His voice becomes lower as he leans forward. Their noses now touching. "But, I feel like you might be--" 

A sudden cry for help breaks the two apart just as they were about to kiss. They both turn to the mouth of the cave, a young woman in rags and messy dirty blonde hair could be seen. She was trying to push herself to her feet, but lacked the strength to do so. Keith stands and rushes over to her, followed closely by Lance. Keith helps her stand, and she leans on him.

"Thank you," She says. They lock eyes and Lance can swear hers start glowing. After a few moments, Keith finally breaks eye contact.

"Are you alright?" He asks he.

"I am now," She replies in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. The very sound of he voice sends a chill down Lance's spine.

Keith helps her sit down on a rock. "Hang on a second, I'll be right back." He tells her before running into grotto, dragging Lance with him. He grabs his shirt, now dry from being placed in direct sunlight. Lance watches Keith pull his shirt back on, and notices something different about his eyes, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"That girl," Keith looks back at her and Lance follows his gaze. "She's the one,"

Lance swallows the lump in his throat. He knew what he was going to say next. But still his heart broke when Keith uttered those six words.

"The one I'm going to marry."

 

Hunk and Pidge swim around the abandoned cave. Rover chases a small bioluminscent fish around the cave and eats it once he catches it. Hunk examines a large glass bottle and jumps away when an angler fish lunges at him from within. He backs into Pidge, causing her to drop what looked to be a human skull. She picks it back up and places it back where she found it, shying away when she sees a bottle full of eyes blankly staring at her. 

"I knew she wouldn't be here," Hunk pushes Pidge behind him, in a protective manner. "She knew you were coming. The sea witch has eyes and ears all throughout the ocean, even land. That's how she finds her victims." Hunk and Pidge visibly relax when Allura swims into the cave. "There's always the slim chance she will be here if someone comes to talk about one of her...Clients, but clearly this isn't the case with Lance." A pile of fish bones in the corner catches her eyes and she hugs herself. "Goodness, I haven't been in here for years, I forgot how....Creepy, it was." 

"Prin--I mean, Your Majesty," Pidge swims over to her. "I don't think she's after Lance alone. If she has eyes and ears all over, then she knows that Lance is close with you and Shiro. She might just be using him as bait."

"I agree," Allura says, she places a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "I need you two to go find him, make sure he's okay and report back to me. I'm going to tell Shiro and we'll figure something out."

 

Lance follows Keith back to the castle, listening to him talk to the young woman, Gabrielle, he name was. Something about her rubbed him the wrong way.   
He comes to a stop and puts his hand on Keith's shoulder, only for it fall back when the prince keeps on walking. Lance pulls his hand to his chest and walks after him. He tries to gain his attention a few more times, only to no avail. 

When they make it back to the castle, Keith escorts Gabrielle inside. Lance goes to follow, but is forced to come to a halt when the door is slammed in his face. He stares at the door for a few moments until he feels himself beginning to cry. He swallows the lump in his throat and moves away from the door. He sits down on a patch of grass and hides his face in his hands.

Not too long later, Lance, eyes red and puffy, lies on his back gazing at the moon and stars. He jolts and sits upright when the door opens. He see's Keith, Coda in his arms. He sets the puppy down and scowls.

"I thought I trained you not to bite," He says and the dog's ears pin back. "Gabrielle's already been through a lot, the last thing she needs is you to bite her." Keith turns his back. "Bad dog." Was all he said before closing the door.

Coda lets out a bark and begins scratching at the door for his owner to let him back in. When the puppy realizes this isn't going to let him in anytime soon. He lies on the ground with his ears pinned down and whines. Coda's ears perk up again when he sniffs the air. Turning to Lance the puppy lets out a bark and runs over to him, jumping up on him and licking his tear stained cheeks. 

Lance can't help but smile at the puppy's excitement, laying back to let him crawl on his chest. He watches as the puppy runs off and picks up a stick, only to drop it at his feet and bark. He picks up the stick and sees the puppy wag his tail. Not exactly sure what he was supposed to do, he throws the stick and Coda chases after it. When he brings it back, he drops it at Lance's feet again. They repeat the process a few more times until the puppy decided he was going to chew on his stick rather than chase it.

The puppy suddenly drops his stick and runs over to the stretch of sand that was nearby. Lance stands up and walks over to him when Coda begins barking at the water. He goes to pick him up but stops when two familiar faces pop up.

"Lance!" Hunk's face lights up when he sees him. He was with Pidge and they swim to shore. "I'm so glad to--" His voice catches in his throat when he sees that Lance's eyes are puffy. "Have you been crying? Are you alright?"

"Is this Keith guy not what you thought he was?" Pidge asks as she wrings out her hair.

The two mermaids look at one another as Lance begins to rapidly move his hands. He stops suddenly when he realizes that neither Hunk nor Pidge knew sign language. He gets down on his knees and begins to write in the sand. 

_He's getting married._

Both mermaids swim onto shore, Hunk pulling Lance into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Lance." He feels Lance tense up in arms. "It'll be okay," Hunk knew he was trying not to cry. Lance never cried in front of anyone, especially not his friends.

"Yeah, we're _so_ close to finding a loophole," Pidge says, rubbing Lance on the back. She looks away when Hunk gives her a look. "We'll get you out of this, Lance. We promise. Shiro and Allura are doing everything they can to save you."

Lance nods and pulls away from Hunk's embrace. He reaches up to rub his eye with the heel of his palm. He stares back at the ocean with a look of remorse. 

"Lance?" Someone calls out for him causing the two mermaids to dive back in the water. "There you are," Coran walks over to him. "Are you okay?" He sits down next to him. 

They sit in silence, watching the waves crash on the shore. Coran glances at Lance, taking note of how his shoulders were shaking. 

"You know," Coran starts. "I'm surprised that Prince Keith is so eager to marry this young lady. He never showed any interest in women and he seemed to be quiet smitten with you." He gives Lance a kind smile. "There's something very odd about this Gabrielle. I don't trust her, but, if the prince wants to marry her, there's not much I can do..." He puts a hand on Lance's shoulder. "He cares about you, Lance. Even if he's only known you for a few days, he does care about you, and he wants you at the wedding tomorrow."

_"Tomorrow?!"_ Lance signs frantically. 

"Yes, I guess there really is such a thing as love at first sight." Coran stands up. "That, or she's some sort of enchantress and she cast a spell on him, that only an act of true love can break. But, what are the odds of that happening?" He gives Lance a wink. "Come now, it's time for bed. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

Lance stands up, Coda in his arms and nods. He looks back to the ocean, seeing Hunk and Pidge bobbing in the water a good distance away. He gives them a small smile before following after Coran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Lance to suffer™ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank's for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter!
> 
> Feel free to contact me on tumblr! @in-tomany-fandoms


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning, the muffled sound of someone talking wakes Lance. He drags himself out of bed and to the window to see what the fuss was about. He opens the window and leans out of it, seeing a short round man standing in front of a crowd of people.

"It is with great pleasure, that I announce that our Prince has finally chosen his future Queen!" The man announces, and the crowd cheers. "They will be married by sunset and the Prince shall--" 

Having heard enough, he pulled himself back inside and closed the window. He feels himself about to cry again, but forces himself not to. He wants to go back to bed, but he had to help Keith prepare for his wedding that evening. He quickly dresses and forces himself to smile. Keith's happiness is what mattered most to him. Even if he found that happiness with someone else. 

He leaves the room and soon comes across Keith and Gabrielle. Their arms were linked together, both gazing out of the window. Gabrielle turns to look at him and gives him a smile. A smug smile. This gains Keith's attention and he tears his eyes away from the window. Lance takes notice of how dull Keith's eyes were. Gabrielle turns back to Keith.

"A wedding at sunset," She says. "I can't imagine anything better."

"Uh-huh." Keith responds, turning back to the window.

"And at sea, no less." She glances back at Lance. "It'll surely be a night to remember."

"Uh-huh."

The couple turns to Coran when he walks over to them. He says something and Keith nods before leading Gabrielle down the hall. The older man watches them leave, rubbing his mustache between his fingers while he hums in thought.

Coran turns to Lance and walks over to him and asks him; "Have you noticed anything odd about the Prince? He's not at all himself, and he hasn't been since last night." He looks back in the direction the bride and groom to-be went. "I'm worried." He states. Looking back at Lance he frowns. "Then again, he hasn't quite been himself since his brother vanished." A sigh escapes his lips. "They were so close..." He trails off and begins to fix Lance's shirt. "I do hope you'll stay here after the wedding. Ever since you came here I've been seeing some of the old Keith."

Lance looks up at Coran and gives him a small, sad smile and he signs; _"Of course."_

 

"Shiro, are you sure?" Allura asks. 

"I'm sure." Was her response.

Allura comes to a halt and takes Shiro by the hand. He turns to her. "Shiro, please reconsider. Your kingdom needs you. Your _son_ needs you." Tears were forming in her crystal eyes. "I...Your _friends_ , need you."

"I know, which is why I have to do this." Shiro says, pulling her close. She buries her face in his chest. "Please don't cry. I hate seeing you cry."

"I lost you once. I am _not_ loosing you again." She looks up at him when he tilts her chin. 

"And you won't, I promise." He uses his thumb to wipe a tear away. "But I have to do this. He needs me."

Allura turns to kiss his palm. She nods her head. "I know," She looks back to him with determination in her eyes. "The spell won't last long. Until sunset at the latest."

Shiro leans forward to kiss her forehead. "That's all the time I need."

 

Lance inhales the scent of salt water pouring in through the port-hole to his right. It was comforting to him. Reminded him of home. The wedding was in less than half an hour. The sun already hung low in the distance, turning the once bright blue sky to red. Time was running out. He turns to Keith as he slips on his jacket. He puts on a fake smile when Keith turns to him.

"Your tie isn't right," Keith mumbles, walking over to Lance to fix it. "There." He tenses up when Lance cups his face. "Let go, Lance." 

Lance leans forward and gives him a light peck on the forehead. He pulls away with a sad smile as Keith stared at him with confusion.

"Lance...?" 

Before anything could be said or done, the door to the cabin opens and Coran steps in. The two pull away from one another as he walks over to them.

"The wedding is about to start, Your Highness." Coran says. "Gabrielle is waiting for you." 

"Y-yes, thank you Coran." Keith nods his head and leaves the cabin. He looks back at Lance from the door way. He touches his forehead and walks away. 

"Come now, Lance." Coran wraps his arm around his shoulders. "Lets get to our seats."

Coran leads Lance from the cabin, and he and Keith lock eyes for a moment before Gabrielle makes him turn back to her. For a second, he could have sworn he saw Keith's purple eyes turn to a glowing yellow. His eyes narrow, craning his neck to watch them as he's lead to his seat. Lance looks around the deck. Dozens of unfamiliar faces filled the seats. Based on their clothes, he was able to conclude that they were all nobles. 

The music starts and everyone rises from their seats as the bride and groom walk down the isle, arm in arm. Once they stop at the alter, everyone sits down. The Minister clears his throat and opens a book.

"Dearly beloved," He speaks. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of..."

 

The Minister's words fall on deaf ears as a knot forms in Lance's stomach. He looks at the sun from the corner of his eye and swallows hard. Time was almost up. He listens to the cries of sea gulls from above and the waves crashing on the side of the ship as he completely tuned out the wedding. He watches as the Minister turns the page in his book before looking to the audience.

"Should anyone have reason that these two should not be wed: speak now or forever hold your peace." 

Lance looks away again, he wanted to speak up and put a stop to this. But he _can't_ , no matter how much he want's to. Feeling a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder looks up to Coran. It was clear that he didn't want this wedding to happen either, as he to refused to watch.

"I object!" 

There was a collective gasp from the audience, immediately followed by murmuring. Both Lance and Coran turn to face the wedding crasher, and their eyes widen with surprise. They stand up from their chairs so fast that they both fall with a resounding thud. The bride turns to the wedding crasher and shock washes over her face. She tightly grips Keith's arm, her nails digging into his flesh. The prince does not react to this, but rather stares blankly ahead. 

"Y-your highness!" Coran calls out, his voice cracking with extreme emotion. "You're alive!" He rushes over when the man stumbles. "Are you alright?"

He lets out a short laugh. "Sorry, it's been ten years since I've had legs," With the help of Coran he stands upright. "I'm out of practice." 

"Looks like you've lost some parts too," Coran mumbles.

The man simply nods and turns his attention to the bride and groom. " _Keith!_ " He calls out. He pulls away from Coran and approaches the Prince, noticing how his shoulders tense up. "Keith, c'mon snap out of it buddy." 

This time he's supported by Lance when he stumbles. He looks up at him, silently telling him he'll explain later. "Keith," He calls out again and this time he turns to him. "Look at you..." His voice begins to shake. "You're all grown up."

Keith's eyes narrow in confusion. He goes to speak, but Gabrielle forcibly turns his head and makes him look at her. "We haven't finished our vows yet, _honey_." She speaks, venom dripping off her sweet tone of voice. Keith grits his teeth and pulls away from her. "Keith, no!" She tries to stop him when he walks over to them. 

"Shiro?" He looks him up and down. Some life returns to his eyes. "You look different." He mumbles. Keith grips his head and blinks. He shakes his head and looks up at him. "You came back," He leans forward and hugs him. Tightly wrapping his arms around his neck. 

Shiro wraps his arm around Keith, pulling him into a tight embrace. He lets out a small chuckle when he feels the prince shaking in his hold. "The Keith I remember always said he was 'too tough' to cry." He teases.

"Shut up." He pulls away and turns to Lance. "Lance!" He takes one of his hands in his own. "Lance, this is Shiro, he's my--" His voice catches in his throat when both Lance and Shiro fall forward. 

There was another collective gasp from the wedding goers when Lance and Shiro now had tail fins instead of legs. Lance looks up at Keith with a look of guilt. He tries to speak, to explain himself, but no voice comes out. Shiro goes to speak for him, but instead takes a protective stance in front of the younger mermaid as the bride-to-be approaches them. She cackles and pushes Keith aside.

"You're too late." She says. Her voice changing. "The sun has set, and he's _mine_ , now." The wedding goers scream as her body contorts and her dress rips as she reverts to her true form. The sea witch laughs and seizes Lance by the arm with one of her tentacles. 

"Let him go!" The sea witch turns to face Keith pointing a sword at her. " _Now_." His eyes narrow dangerously. 

A wide grin forms on her face and she says: "Oh, don't you worry _dear_ ," Her tentacles tightly wrap around him, forcing him to drop his weapon. "You two love birds will be sharing a watery grave together very soon." 

Before anything more could be said or done, the sea witch dives into the ocean below, dragging Lance and Keith with her. She cackles when she hears a splash not too far behind her. She feels the two young men struggle in her grip and she laughs at their efforts. 

 

"Haggar!" She turns to face Shiro, only this time he had a weapon of his own. The source of the royal family's power, passed down from king to king. The trident of Poseidon. "Let them go." He commands, aiming the trident at her.

Haggar hisses. "After all I've done for you, _this_ is how you repay me?" She sees his eyes narrow and she lets out a sigh. "I suppose we could work _something_ out, your majesty."

"What do you want?"

"Perhaps we could make a trade, say, their souls for your own?" She sneers. "Two for the price of one, a very fair trade, if I say so myself." She snaps her fingers and scroll appears in front of him, and he can easily make out Lance's signature. "All you have to do is sign it, and they're free."

"You had your chance at my soul years ago. I know what you really want, it's the trident!" Shiro counters. He watches as Lance struggles to break free, and as Keith's efforts lessen with each second he goes without oxygen.

"Are you telling me you'd rather let your baby brother drown than give up that silly fork?" Haggar demands. "I'd hurry and make up my mind if I were you, he's running out of time." To emphasize, one of her tentacles wraps around Keith's neck and squeezes, forcing small air bubbles to come from his mouth.

Shiro hesitates for a brief moment before aiming the trident towards the scroll. There's a small flash of light, and Lance's signature is replaced with his own. The sea witch lunges forward and seizes the contract, releasing both her captives in the process. Shiro watches as Lance quickly takes hold of Keith and begins to pull him to the surface. 

 

Lance drags Keith out of the ocean and onto a giant rock. The prince begins coughing as he fills his lungs with air while the mermaid rubs his back. The mermaid looks up at the sky when it becomes dark, and he can hear thunder in the distance. He turns back to the water when a sudden flash of light catches his eye. Keith's coughing fit subsides and he grabs Lance by the wrist when he goes to dive.

"Lance--" His voice catches in his throat. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to say, but his grip on the mermaid's wrist tightens. He goes to speak, but no words come out. Keith begins chewing the inside of his cheek when Lance cups his face. The mermaid brushes his hair from his eyes before pressing a kiss to the faint scar on the side of his forehead.

He pulls away and gives him a reassuring smile, and his wrist slips from Keith's grasp as he dives back into the water. Keith touches his forehead, watching as the mermaid vanishes from sight in the dark water. As he did, a heavy rain began falling from the sky, making the rock even slicker than it already was.

"Damn it, Lance," Keith grits his teeth. "I'm not going to just sit here!" He pulls a dagger from his boot. It wasn't much, but he had to help.

He just had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big brother has returned, and with a cliche! 
> 
> Thank's for all the comments/kudos! They mean a lot to me, even if I don't respond to your comments. I'm really bad with words lol.
> 
> Feel free to contact me on tumblr! @in-tomany-fandoms


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit y'all. I'm so sorry I took so long update. Between work, family drama, and some writers block, I haven't had much time to work on it. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

The cackling of the sea witch greets Lance when he hits the water. He scans the area for Shiro, only to quickly learn he was nowhere in sight. He can see the castle in the distance, maybe if he were fast enough he could get help. He goes to swim off, but his path is blocked by Haggar's servants. They sneer and seize him by the arms, dragging him back as he struggles to break free. 

Haggar turns to them and grins. "There you are," She pauses for a moment. "Lance, was it?" She cups his face with a tentacle. "I give you my thanks. Because of you, I was able to claim what's rightfully mine much sooner than originally planned." She pats his cheek and releases him. "I suppose letting you live will be reward enough," She snaps her fingers and her servants release him. "Besides, I have much bigger fish to fry."

Before the mermaid has time to react, the sea witch and her minions speed passed him towards the castle. Without a moment's hesitation he follows after them. When he arrives at the castle, he's none too surprised to find a large gathering of mermaids outside the throne room. He begins weaving through the crowd, but is forced to a halt when a hand wraps around his wrist.

"Lance!" He turns back to face Hunk. The look of relief on his face quickly turns to concern. "What's wrong? Where's Shiro?" 

Before Lance can even try to answer, a sudden blinding white light fills the area, causing the crowd to let out startled and confused screams. Lance pulls himself free from Hunk's grasp and swims forward, Hunk at his heels. He narrowly avoids slamming into a guard upon entering the throne room. His vision clears and he sees the sea witch holding the trident to Allura's throat. He takes a quick glance at Pidge when he feels her grip his arm. The queen's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, her eyes darted from the witch to Lance. 

"Lance, what is happening? Where is my husband?" She demands. She didn't sound mad, but rather confused and concerned. "Why does _Haggar_ have the trident?!"

Lance opens his mouth to speak, but when no voice comes out he puts a hand to his throat. He pulls away from Pidge and tries to go to Allura's aid when the trident is thrust closer to her throat, but he's promptly pinned down by one of Haggar's tentacles. The witch sneers.

"Don't fret, your majesty, you'll be with him soon enough." The trident in her hands begins to glow, and she feels Lance struggle to beak free from her hold. 

Before she can attack, Pidge swims forward and begins to try and wrestle the trident from Haggar's grasp. This causes Haggar to release Lance as she focuses her attention on the younger mermaid. Hunk quickly joins her, helping her attempt to pull the trident free from the witch's grasp.

They're quickly over powered and the witch knocks Hunk away. Dread washes over Lance as the sea witch wraps her tentacle around Pidge's throat and sneers as she struggles. Her face begins to turn red when Haggar's tentacle secures itself around her gills, cutting off her oxygen at the source. 

Before anything could be said or done, Haggar is forced to release Pidge from her grasp when the back of the throne is slamed into her, knocking her clear across the room. Lance raises a finger and goes to speak as he floats besides Hunk. They both turn to Allura, who was holding the heavy scalloped shaped piece of stone in her hands. She drops it with a heavy 'thud', and immediately goes to Pidge's aid. She looks to the other two, giving them a confused look.

"What?" 

Before anymore could be said, a tentacle wraps around Allura's fin and drags her to the sea witch. The witch holds the queen above her, hanging her upside down and says; "I've had just about enough of you," She aims the trident at her. "Say hello to your husband for me." She goes to impale her, but when something slams into her arms, she misses. 

Pidge rubs her throat and grins. "You get her, Rover!" She croaks out, as the dogfish continues his attack.

Circling Haggar, Rover kept slamming into her, biting her and distracting her as Allura frees herself. Growing frustrated, the witch swung the trident at the dogfish, missing due to her vision being obstructed by her hair. When she's finally able to brush her hair from her eyes, she snarls and takes aim, and another blindling light fills the area.

Pidge holds out her hands to catch the remains of her pet."R-Rover...?" Her voice cracks, and her eyes well up with tears. She's forced to drop what was in her hands when Lance swims forward and pulls her to safety just as another attack from the witch came. Hunk puts a comforting hand to her shoulder, and Allura joins their side. Knights appear on either side of her, weapons in hand and aimed at the witch.

"You're out numbered." She says, and raises her hand to stop the knights from attacking when Haggar raises the trident. 

There was another flash of light and suddenly they were no longer in the castle. A flash of gold catches Allura's eye, and her heart sinks. She takes a protective stance in front of Pidge, Lance, and Hunk when Haggar points the trident at them.

"You're overpowered!" Haggar protests. "I've been planning this day for fifteen years. Ever since you and your prince," She jerks her head towards the discarded crown. "Started your secret randezvous as children, I've planned everything. I gave him the ability to live here with you, to start a life with you." 

"My original plan was to use your child as leverage, but as luck would have it, _you_ ," She points the trident at Lance. "Just so happened to be smittened with his younger brother, so I didn't have to wait quite as long." She grins. "So for that, I thank you." The trident begins to glow. "I thougt letting you live would have been reward enough, clearly I was wrong."

"Lance!" Allura cries out as the young mermaid lunges forward in anger. 

Lance wraps his hands around the trident and forces it's aim in a random direction. The trident continues to fire at random as they fight for it. Growling in frustration, Haggar seizes him by the arm and pins him down. She raises the trident, ready to go in for the kill.

Lance winces when the sea witch lets out a blood curdling scream of pain after a dagger impales one of her tentacles. Haggar turns to find Keith pulling his dagger from her tentacle before he swims his way to the surface. Without a word, she watches as her servants speed after him. She snarls when she watches Hunk and Pidge shoot up from the corner of her eye. 

She aims the trident at them and it glows with power. Ready to fire, she ends up missing her targets completely when Allura grabs her by her stringy white hair and pulls. Enraged, Haggar knocks Allura back and pins her with a tentacle. She turns back, finding that her servants were struggling to pull Keith down while Lance's friends were trying to free him. 

Lance watches as Haggar takes aim and the trident glows. He wiggles himself free from her hold and begins wrestling with her for the trident once again. Hunk and Pidge are finally able to free Keith from the bioluminescent mermaids, Hunk pulling the human close, narrowly avoiding the attack. There was a flash of light and Haggar's servants were no more, having been vaporized by the attack. 

Hunk and Pidge glance at one another before they both take Keith's by the arms and pull him to surface. Haggar roughly shoves Lance aside, and speeds after them. He and Allura hurry after her, trying everything in their power to stall her while the other reach the surface. 

"Get out of my way!" Haggar hisses, she aims the trident at Lance and fires. 

"Lance!" Allura rushes over to him and catches him before he can hit the floor. "Lance?" She calls out his name, to which he slowly nods his head before wincing and gripping at his side. Allura lowers him onto the the floor and places a hand on his side. When she pulls it away, the queen grimaces at the red stain left behind. She pulls the wounded mermaid into a nearby cave, resting him on his other side. "You stay here," She tells him. 

Lance goes to protest, but stops himself and nods his head. He watches Allura remove the cloth from around her waist, and cringes when she presses it to his wound. She takes his hand and has him hold it in place. She gives him a reassuring smile before swimming off. 

 

Keith gasps for air when he reaches the surface, feeling a set of arms supporting him. He keeps his head above the roaring waters as the waves turn violent with the storm.

"Are you alright?" Pidge asks, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder. She gives him a crooked grin when he nods. "You really _are_ a good match for Lance," She says. "You're stupid."

"What?" Keith demands. "That....Woman, is out for blood. You'd be dead right now if it weren't for me!""

"True, but it was a lucky shot. Human's aren't meant to swim that deep. They die. What you did was stupid."

"Um...Guys?" Hunk calls out to them. "I don't think now is the best time to argue," He gains their attention and they follow his gaze. 

Before them was the sea witch, riding atop a large wave. A wide grin grows on Haggar's face as she aims the trident at them. She fires at them, purposly missing them as means to toy with them. She does this a few more times before getting ready for the finishing blow. Before she can do so, Allura seizes her from behind, forcing her to drop the trident into the ocean. Pidge dives in after it, trying with all her might not to be swept away by the current when the wave comes crashing down.

"You little brat!" The sea witch hisses, one of her tentacles tightly wraps around Allura while she begins to double in size. Now easily the size of a giant squid, two of her tentacles lunge at Hunk and Keith.

Haggar laughs when raising them all out of the water, tightening her grip around their waists. Allura wiggles in her grasp to try and pull her arms free, but the tentacle around her was so tight that she could feel the life being squeezed from her. Her attention is drawn to Keith when he once again stabs the sea witch with his dagger. The cecaelia is taken by surprise by the sudden pain, and her grip loosens, just enough for them to break free. 

Once she hits the water, Allura finds Hunk bobbing in the water next to her, slightly disoriented but other wise fine. She looks around for Keith, knowing that he wouldn't stand a chance against the waves. Her attention turns to Haggar, and she finds that the witch had him in her clutches. Her tentacles were wrapped tightly around Keith's waist and neck. 

"Allura!" Hunk grabs Allura by the arm and pulls her aside when one of Haggar's tentacles came crashing down. He shields her when there's a sudden flash of light, and Haggar cries out in pain. 

Pulling away, Allura sees Lance and Pidge. Together they were wielding the trident, preparing for another attack. "Lance! Pidge!" She swims over to her and takes the trident from them. "Thank you," She says, before turning back to the sea witch. "Release him at once!" She demands, the trident beginning to glow in her hands.

"I'll release him, once you hand over the trident!" Haggar responds, she holds the prince out over the ocean. He tries to pry her tentacle from his neck, gasping for air as the grip on his throat tightens. 

"You want it? Oh you can have it," Allura says, ignoring the looks of disbelief she gets from the three beside her. Her eyes narrow dangerously. "Here, take it!" 

With every ounce of strength she had, she threw the trident like a spear. The spokes of the trident impales Haggar's chest, causing her to drop Keith. Allura is quick to catch him, keeping him above water as the sea witch lets out a scream. Haggar's bones become visible through her skin as the power of the trident surges through her. There is a blinding flash of light and one final scream from the witch that filled the area. 

When they turn back, the body of the sea witch began to crumble, being swept away like ash in the breeze. Allura's grip on Keith tightens when she feels him go limp in her arms. She watches as Haggar crumbles away, and the trident falls into the water, the storm dying down as it sinks. Allura smiles ever so slightly and turns back to the trio of younger mermaids. The smile falters when Lance falls unconscious and sinks down.

"Hunk, Pidge," She calls out, her voice cracking. "Go and make sure Lance is alright. I'll take Keith to shore..." Allura doesn't give them the chance to respond before she speeds off towards land.

 

Lance lets out a groan when he feels someone catch him. The pain in his side had turned from a sharp burning pain to a dull throbbing pain. He opens his eyes, and through blurred vision he can make out a familiar face.

"Shiro...? Man, I just had the craziest dream, I--" He stops talking and clutches his throat. "I can _talk!_ " He looks to Shiro and all but tackles him into a hug. "You're not dead!" He smiles when he hears the older mermaid chuckle and pat his back.

"And," Lance peeks over Shiro's shoulder when he hears Pidge. "We got the trident back!" She holds the item up over her head like a trophy.

"Man, you guys should have seen it!" Hunk says excitedly. "Allura's like, crazy strong. Did you know that?" He asks while swiming over to examine Lance's injury. 

"She can throw me ten feet with one arm no problem," Shiro says with a shrug. "I don't know where she got her strength, but damn. She could probably punch a hole in the wall and I love it." He looks around. "Where is she anyway?"

"She took Keith to shore," Pidge says, noticing how both Shiro and Lance tense. "He passed out, so she wanted to get him to safety." She explains, handing the trident to Shiro.

Shiro looks back at Lance and sees him with his arms crossed. "Lance?"

"You're a human! You give me a bunch of shit about how the human world is dangerous, and you were a human the entire time!" He swims over to the elder mermaid and pokes him in the chest. "I think you owe us all an explination." He lets out a quick 'ow', as Hunk tightly wraps some kelp around his wound.

"You're right, I do owe you an explination," Shiro agrees, nodding his head. "I'll explain on the way to shore, alright?" He swims out of the cave, followed closely behind by the younger mermaids. He lets out a shakey sigh when he feels three sets of eyes on him. 

 

"Fifteen years ago, my younger brother and I were playing at the beach," He starts. "I was maybe ten, and Keith was no more than three, and we were collecting shells to make our mother a birthday present." His grip on the trident tightens some. "I turned my back for one second, and he was gone."

"The tide took him out, didn't it?" Pidge questions. 

"He was so small, he didn't stand a chance against the water." Shiro swallows the lump in his throat. "I didn't know what to do. I looked everywhere for him, but I couldn't find him. I was just about to run back to the castle to get help when I heard him crying. So, I followed the sound, and found him clinging to King Alfor," He smiles slightly. "He and Allura just so happened to be swimming by and...They saved him." 

"So _that's_ how you two met," Hunk mumbles, and Shiro chuckles.

"Yeah, that is how we met. Ever since then, we'd meet each other on the beach and talk. She was so curious about our way of life, and I wanted to know about hers."

"And," Lance chimes in. "You two fell in love, but your father wouldn't have it because you were supposed to marry someone else. So you ran away, traded...Whatever, to the sea witch to become a mermaid?" He grins when Shiro comes to a halt.

"How do you--"

"Keith told me." He shrugs. "About you running away. I just put two and two together."

Shiro clears his throat. "Yes, anyway, from then on, King Alfor taught me everything I needed to know on how to be a proper king. He treated me like a son, and well, the rest is history."

"Wait a minute," Hunk swims up beside him. "If you're originally from the human world, why didn't you want us to go see it? I know that some humans are dangerous, but, you could have taken us too see where you came from, couldn't you?"

Shiro comes to a halt again when a knot forms in his stomach. His face pales, and his knuckles turn white when he tightly grips the trident. "The last--" His mouth becomes dry. "The last time I took someone to see where I came from....They didn't--" His voice wavers, and he looks away as tears form in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Katie." He says quietly.

Lance and Hunk look at one another as Pidge swims forward. She wraps her arms around Shiro's shoulders. He wraps his arm around her and begins to shake.

"I tried to save them, but I couldn't--" He begins to cry. "I wasn't strong enough. It's my fault."

"No it's not," Pidge pulls away and squishes his cheeks between her hands. "It's not your fault. Don't say that." She stares at him. "The only one who blames you for what happened, is you." She lets him go. "Please stop blaming yourself, Shiro..."

Shiro looks at her and smiles softly. "Yeah..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE IN THE FINAL STRETCH Y'ALL. 
> 
> only two chapters left.
> 
> fun fact; I re-wrote this chapter two times because I didn't like it lol.
> 
> I'm bad with fight scenes. (the final blow was heavily inspired by the original/deleted ending from the little mermaid, obviously)
> 
> Big thanks to my buddy Kurguardianz over on deviantart (check him out, tell him Sakya sent you) for proof reading and giving me ideas on how to make this chapter better.


	9. Chapter 9

Allura grimaces at the sight of a bruise forming on Keith's neck. She presses her fingers to his wrist and lets out a relieved sigh when she feels his pulse. She then takes her long white hair into her hands and wrings it out, gazing at the sea as she does. She watches as the storm clouds clear up, and the moon and stars illuminate the area. Four heads pop out the water and her breath hitches. She looks back at Keith, making sure he was alright before diving into the ocean.

She swims passed Lance, who was bee-lining towards shore, Hunk and Pidge not too far behind. Allura doesn't give Shiro the chance to say her name before she pulls him into a tight embrace and kisses him. She pulls away and looks at him and she says; "I thought I lost you,"

"I made you a promise, didn't I?" He presses their foreheads together. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She pokes him in the chest, and he laughs. 

"I won't, I promise." Shiro smiles, and she takes the trident from him. They link their hands together before swimming towards the shore. 

 

Keith groans when he feels a kiss on his forehead. He opens his eyes and looks up to see Lance, and a feeling of deja vu washes over him. He pushes himself up on his elbows and smiles. The smile soon fades when he catches sight of the kelp wrapped the mermaid's around waist.

"You're hurt," He says while sitting himself up. 

"Yeah, and you have a stupid hairstyle, but you don't see me pointing out the obvious." Lance retorts.

Keith reaches for his hair, obviously taking offense. He goes to protest, but stops. "You can talk?!" Keith quickly clears his throat. "I mean, You....You can talk."

"So the fact that I can talk is more alarming to you than the fact that I'm a fish?" Lance questions, crossing his arms.

"After the day I had? Nothing surprises me." The human looks away for a moment. "I'm glad you're okay.

The mermaid smiles warmly. "I'm glad you're okay too." His smile turns into a frown. "I really like you, Keith," He confesses. "And I really, _really_ want to get to know you better. I want to stay here with you, but I can't." His tail fin begins to smack against the sand. He's forced to look at Keith when he takes him by the face. 

"I want that too," Keith says, and he begins to chew the inside of his cheek. "I really like you too, Lance, and I never got to finish what I wanted to say at the grotto..." He trails off.

"...What did you want to say?" 

"I wanted to say that....." Keith looks away and his face flushes. He clears his throat. "I think I might be...." His voice becomes quiet. "In...In love...With you." 

Lance's face lights up. "You're in love with me?" He asks and Keith's face turns red. The Prince opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. "Aw, babe, you're so cu--" He's cut off mid sentence when Keith shoves him in the water. 

When Lance resurfaces, he hears Pidge let out a snort. He looks over to find her and Hunk resting on some rocks, watching them. Pidge pushes her glass up he nose and looks at Keith.

"He is kinda cute," She grins when he looks away. "Stupid, but cute. What do you think, Hunk?"

"Oh yeah, he's adorable." Hunk smiles and they both laugh when Keith hides his face in his hands.

"Hey, quit embarrassing him!" Lance protests. "That's my job!"

"Actually," The trio turns to Shiro as he swims up onto shore, and drapes his arm around Keith's shoulder. "As the older brother, it's _my_ job." To prove his point he pinches the human's cheek. Keith groans, but he smiles anyway. Shiro smiles before pulling the human closer to kiss the top of his head. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, but I'm still mad at you for leaving like that." Keith states flatly. He wants to push him away, but instead he finds himself leaning into him. He looks to Lance when he pulls himself back onto shore and takes his hand.

Lance gives Shiro a look, silently asking him to have a moment alone with Keith. The older mermaid simply nods and moves back to the water, motioning for Hunk and Pidge to follow. They join Allura at a safe distance from shore, the two were still visible, but out of ear shot. Allura places a hand on Shiro's arm as she watches them talk, their foreheads pressed together as they do. She purses her lips when she sees them frown, and Lance gestures to his tail fin. She looks at the trident in her hand and pulls Shiro down to whisper something to him. 

 

"I really want to stay," Lance says with a frown. "But, I can't like this." He links fingers with Keith. "I'll come visit you every day, and we can--" He falls silent when he sees the look on Keith's face. "Keith..?"

"That won't work, Lance," He says, looking away. "I have tutors breathing down my neck, I'm going to be king soon. I won't be able to leave the castle much. If it weren't for Coran, I wouldn't be able to leave at all." He squeezes his hand. "I'm sorry..."

Lance sits on his knees and makes Keith look at him. "Keith, listen, we'll fig--" His voice catches in his throat and he looks down at himself. 

His mouth falls open and he looks back at the ocean to see Shiro and Allura grinning.They wave at him, and he can’t help but let out cries of excitement. Before Keith can react, Lance is pulling the prince into his arms as he stands. When realization hits him, Keith smiles and wraps his arms around the back of Lance's neck as he lifts him up. They both laugh as Lance lifts the prince up into the air and attempts to spin him around.

Lance lets out a curse when the pain in his side interrupts and loses his footing. He falls back into the water with Keith landing on top of him. He lets out a noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a laugh. He cups the back of Keith's head and pulls him down to where their foreheads are pressed together once again.

"Keith, you," He stares at him. "You have freckles!" He laughs when the prince's cheeks turn red. 

"And you have legs, but you don't see me pointing out the obvious." Keith retorts, playfully. He cups Lance's cheek in his hand and begins to lean forward. 

"Lance," They both yelp and Lance bolts into an upright position, head-butting Keith in the process. They turn to face Hunk and Pidge. Hunk reaches to scratch the back of his neck. "Sorry..."

"Nah," Lance rubs his forehead. "You're good." He places a hand to his side. "What's up?"

"We...We gotta go home, Lance." Hunk replies, watching as realization fills his friend's eyes. Keith goes to stand, but Lance giving him a pleading look keeps him in place. 

"Yeah....Home," He turns back to the water and smiles sadly. "I guess we won't be going on any treasure hunts anymore..." 

"Lance," The group turns to Allura and Shiro. The queen hands the trident to the her husband before swimming forward. "You can come home and visit anytime you wish," She smiles when he raises an eyebrow. "Haven't you wondered how Shiro was able to crash the wedding?" A giggle escapes her lips when he lets out a small 'oh'. "With enough notice, I'll be able to temporarily turn you back into a mermaid, so you can see everyone. If only for a day." 

Lance's face lights up from this information. He goes to speak, but the worried voice of Coran interrupts him. "Keith! You're alright!" He calls out before pulling the prince into a tight hug. "Oh, I was so worried!" He catches sight of Lance and pulls him into the hug. "Lance! Oh, thank heavens you're both alright!" Upon seeing the mermaids staring at him in amusement, he releases the boys and clears his throat. "You two gave me quiet the fright." 

"It was no picnic for us either," Keith says, feeling Lance lean on him. 

"You boys should get cleaned up and and ready for bed," Shiro says. "Take your time to recover from tonight." He frowns when he sees Keith look away. "Keith, I really am sorry for leaving you like that, but I--"

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about." Keith interrupts. "All that matters is that you're happy." He smiles.

"Exactly," Allura chimes in. "That's why we turned you into a human, Lance. It's obvious how much you care for Keith, and we know how much you wish to live in the human world. We just want you to be happy."

Lance smiles warmly. "Thanks guys." He pulls away from Keith. "Really, it means a lot to me." He drops to his knees and pulls her into a hug. He grins when he feels Hunk and Pidge join in, the three of them nearly crushing him and he couldn't care less.

Shiro watches them with a smile. He turns back to Coran and says; "Lance can be quite the handful. You sure you can handle him?"

"After all but raising you and Keith? I think I'll manage." He smiles and they both laugh. 

Lance pulls Keith down into the group hug and Shiro's quick to join in. They stay like this for the longest time, until the pain in Lance's side forces him to pull away. Allura gives them each one last hug before diving under water with Hunk and Pidge. Shiro smiles warmly and pulls Keith back into another hug, giving him another kiss on the head before pulling away.

"I have to get home now," He says. "If you can get away, you're welcome to visit us anytime." He grins suddenly. "I'm sure Alfie would _love_ to meet his uncle."

Keith's eyes light up. "You have a son?" He smiles brightly from the news. 

"I do." Shiro nods. "I'd tell you more about him, but, I can tell you're exhausted. So go home, get some rest, and Lance," He turns to the other and beckons him closer. Once he's within arms reach, he pulls him close. "Do anything to hurt my baby brother and I swear by Poseidon, I will make you regret the day you were hatched. Are we clear?"

"C-Crystal."

"Good." He releases Lance and watches as he hides behind Keith. "Sleep tight, you two." He smiles before diving under water and swimming after the others.

Lance lets out a breath, and his cheeks go hot when he feels Keith link their fingers together. The Prince leads him in the same direction Coran was going. 

"Come on, Lance. Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter y'all :)
> 
> thank's so much for reading.


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank's so much to everyone who's read this far!   
> I know I haven't answered any comments, but I want you all to know that they mean so much to me and I love them! ♥♥♥

"Keith come on!" Lance all but whines as he grabs the others wrist. 

"Lance," Keith sighs. "It's my first free day in _four_ months. I would like to take it easy."

"Yeah, but we only have the day and I want to show you around." He protests, dragging Keith down with him. He turns to face him. "You've been so busy, and we've only been able to spend time together at night! It's not fair, and I really want us to have fun together and--" He's cut off when Keith cups his face and pulls him into a kiss.

The mermaid blinks before he melts into it, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist. He pulls the prince closer, deepening the kiss in the process. They slowly sink deeper into the water, parting their lips when Lance hits his back against the floor. Keith gives him another peck on the lips as he stares at him in a love sick daze.

"You kissed me." He says with a goofy grin. 

Keith raises an eyebrow. "Aren't boyfriends supposed to kiss each other?" He smiles as Lance lets out a laugh. 

"It was our first kiss." He states. His grin disappears and he sits upright. "You used our _first_ kiss to shut me up?!" He demands, clearly offended. 

"Oh, I think I hear Shiro calling, I gotta go." Keith grins and pushes himself up. He doesn't get very far and lets out a curse when he feels Lance grab him. "How in the hell do you do this?"

"It's all in the hips." Lance tells him, snapping his tail fin for added effect. He takes the prince by the hands and pulls him forward. "I guess I can just, I don't know, hold your hand, while you get the hang of it?" He grins as he links his fingers with Keith's. He pulls him closer to give him another kiss. "C'mon," He says once he pulls away. "There's some place I want to show you."

 

"Are your eyes closed?" Lance asks as he pulls Keith behind him.

"Yeah." Keith states, but still Lance turns his head just to be sure.

Lance lets go of his hand and swims behind him, gently pushing him forward. He stops him at in the middle of the room and floats above his head. "Okay, open your eyes!"

Keith opens his eyes to find himself in a grotto, surrounded by piles of different objects. He scans the area to find a whole pyramid of coins on one side, a heap of cooking utensils and dinnerware on the other. "Is all of this...Yours?" He asks, picking up an old tea pot. 

"Some of it is," Lance swims over to a pile of jewelry. "Hunk and I find the stuff, Pidge names the stuff, and then we decide who keeps what." He rummages through handfuls of of pearls and gemstones, and pulls out a chain with a sharks tooth in place of the pendant. He swims back over to Keith and puts the necklace around his neck. 

Keith smiles at the gesture and sets the tea pot down. He snakes his arms around his neck and pulls him close enough to press their foreheads together. Lance leans forward to capture his lips again, running his fingers through his hair. 

 

"Excuse me," They quickly pull apart, startled by the sudden voice. "But there is a child present, please do that...Somewhere else." They turn to face Pidge, who was perched on a rock in the corner. 

"Pidge!" Lance hisses. "How long have you been there?"

"All morning," She shrugs. "And I do more than name the stuff, I also tell you what it does." She states, just as Hunk swims in.

"Lance!" His face lights up and he pulls his friend into a hug. "I've missed you so much, man. I mean, yeah, we meet up in the morning at shore, but it's _so_ nice to have you home again!" 

"You're crushing me," Lance wheezes, taking a deep breath when Hunk releases him. "I've missed you too, Hunk." He grins. "I'm glad you guys are here," He says while Pidge swims close enough to lean over Keith's shoulder. "I have something planned for all of us to do together."

 

Four heads pop up behind a gathering of rocks. Pidge leans over to get a better view of the sunken ship, but is pulled back by Lance.

"Wait a minute!"He calls out, turning to face her and Keith. "Alright newbies, listen up! That there is a sunken ship, and we're going to loot it."

"Look's like an old pirate ship," Keith muses, unintentionally making Hunk tense up. 

"There's no such thing as pirates, babe." Lance states.

"Are you..." The prince turns to Hunk. "Is he serious?" The other mermaid nods. "Pirates are very real, Lance." 

Lance rolls his eyes. "Sure they are, and I'm the son of Poseidon." He claps his hands together. "Anyway, stay close, have fun and no coins. We have enough coins." 

All four mermaids swim towards the ship, gliding through the huge opening in the hull. Judging by the mass amount of barnacles and algae, the ship had been in the ocean for ages. A whole plot of coral littered the inside of the vessel with strips of seaweed flowing through the cracks. Pidge ecstatically darts across the ship, stopping to find and rummage through an old chest full of coins. Following her lead, Keith swims past Pidge and comes across an old sword.

Lance stops and looks down to find his tail fin brushing against a small cage. The mermaid picks it up and looks inside, only to immediately drop it when finding the bones of a dead bird behind steel bars. He then turns to find Hunk and Keith trying to pull out the sword, but it was rusted to its sheath. Eventually they give up, but Keith chooses to hold onto it.

A sudden shadow catches the prince's attention. "Lance?" He gets a hum in response. "Are there sharks in the area?"

"They pass through every now and then, but it's usually during matting season." Lance answers. "Matting season ended a few weeks ago. Why? Did you see one?"

"I saw something's shadow a second ago." Keith mumbles, as another shadow is cast over the ship. 

The four huddle around each other as the shadow looms over them. Hunk cowers from behind the price and begins to chew on his nails. Keith drops the rusty sword in his hands, resorting to a resounding ‘thud’ at the end. Lance tenses up slightly before grinning and Pidge's eyes light up with excitement.

"Is that what I think it is?" Pidge asks.

"He found us!" Hunk cries, sinking down. "He tracked us down, and he want's revenge!"

"Relax Hunk, I'm sure it's not the same one," Lance says just before a feeding tentacle crashes through the ceiling. His face turns pale. "It's the same one!" He quickly grabs both Keith and Pidge, pulling them to safety as the tentacle starts grabbing for them. He quickly scans the area and drags them down to the hatch. "C'mon, Hunk!" 

The four swim through the hatch and out onto the main deck. The ship was caught by the rocks on an angle, and a large kelp forest had grown under the deck. They weave through the kelp as fast as they can while the squid gives chase. Lance had his hand around Keith’s wrist, knowing that he couldn’t swim fast enough on his own. When turning around to find that Pidge had gotten herself tangled in the seaweed, the prince breaks free from Lance’s grip to go and help her.

Lance turns around to call back for Keith, just as the squid’s feeding tentacle smashes through the vessel. A sudden cloud of dust erupts from the crash, blindsiding the mermaid. He hears the sound of the ship tilting, and the sounds of wood and coral breaking. When he opens his eyes, he finds that the squid was swimming away, injured. Had it not been for the bowsprit in its side, blood would have been pouring from the wound. The dust begins to clear, and Lance's heart sinks. 

"Keith? Pidge?" He calls out, and darting around the demolished ship in search for them. "Guys?!" He looks back when Hunk grabs him by the arm. They share a glance before Lance pulls himself free and continues his search. "Keith!" His mouth goes dry. "Pidge!" 

Lance comes to a halt, his shoulders becoming tense with every tear that wells up in his eyes. He lets Hunk pull him into his arms, wiping his eyes before returning the hug. His shoulders start shaking and he hiccups, feeling the other mermaid tighten his hold around him. Both mermaids freeze when they hear coughing from a heap of broken wood and kelp stalks.

Breaking apart from each other, Lance and Hunk rush towards the source of the coughing and rummage through the pile. Lance smiles brightly when he soon finds his prince under the kelp, holding Pidge close to his chest in a protective manner. A dazed and confused Keith sits himself up, slowly releasing the mermaid in his arms while doing so. Pidge lets out a groan, putting a hand to her head while feeling around for her glasses with the other.

"Mm, you o--Oof!" Before he can finish the sentence, Keith is tackled into a hug by Lance. 

"You're okay!" Lance cries, rubbing his cheek against Keith's, before pulling away to cup his face. " _Quiznak_ , I was so scared!" The mermaid pulls him into a quick kiss before he turns to Pidge and does the same. Only he kisses her on the forehead rather than the lips, and is quickly pushed away. 

Before anyone can say anything, they're all pulled into a tight hug by Hunk. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" He lets them go. "Are you guys alright? No injuries?"

"I have a headache," Pidge says. 

"I think I may have sprained my wrist," Keith adds, wincing as he tries to move it. 

Lance takes his hand. "Let's get you guys back to the castle...I think we've had enough treasure hunting for one day."

 

"You should have seen it Shiro! The squid was all...Well, I don't know what sounds a squid makes, but it was all grabby!" Pidge exclaims as she fiddles with her glasses. She waves to Hunk as he swims off, saying something about heading home.

Shiro smiles at her excitement. "I bet it was quite the sight." He says. From the corner of his eye he can see Alfie tugging at Keith's hair, and his smile widens. "You really need to be careful when you go out on these...Adventures, Pidge." He turns back to her.

"And we were! We didn't know the squid would show up, honest." She grins. "Besides, I don't think we'll be seeing him again." She says before swimming over to Keith and Lance. "If it weren't for lover boy here," She wraps her arm around Keith's neck. "I'd be squid food, probably." She looks at the kelp that was tightly wrapped around his wrist and grimaces. "I'm sorry about your wrist."

"It's fine, Pidge." The prince tells her. "It's just a sprain. I'll live."

Shiro smiles and swims towards them. "I'm proud of you, kiddo." He ruffles Keith's hair.

"Shiro..." Keith begins to protest, but the impatient whine from the toddler in his arms stops him. He turns back to the toddler and makes a funny face, grinning when Alfie lets out a laugh. "Treasure hunts were a lot less...Deadly, when we were kids." He muses.

"You went on treasure hunts?" Lance asks. 

"Sort of. Coran would make up maps and charts for us. We search throughout the castle, and solve a bunch of riddles in order to proceed." Shiro explains. "We weren't allowed to help each other, and the winner got a prize. Usually a new toy, or something sweet too eat." He smiles. "Maybe I should do something like that for Alfie when he's older..." He mumbles, rubbing his chin.

Lance's eyes light up. "That sounds like fun," He looks at Keith. "We should do that sometime!" 

Keith hums in thought. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I can't promise it'll be any time soon...I was lucky to get today off." He frowns, leaning on Lance.

"Heh, you have been pretty busy..." Lance mumbles, resting his cheek on his head. He watches as Allura takes Alfie from Keith when he starts fussing. 

"It's time someone had his nap." She coos, before giving the two a kind smile and swimming off. 

Keith leans further into Lance. "A nap sounds great." He mumbles and closes his eyes.

 

Hours later, Lance absentmindedly runs his fingers through Keith's still damp hair. He rests his head in on his free hand, letting out a content sigh as the prince snores softly. He lets the events of the past few months play out in his mind. His bargain with the sea witch and all the trouble that came with it. 

Looking down at Keith, Lance can't stop himself from smiling warmly and he says to himself; 

"I'd totally do it again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAA. I finished it. Holy crap.  
> I've never actually...You know, finished, a fan fic before. I usually quit five chapters in.
> 
> Big thank's to my buddy, Kurguardianz over on deviantart for proofreading/re-writing some paragraphs for the epilogue. You've been a great help, man. 
> 
> And a even bigger thanks to y'all for reading my silly au! It means so much to me that people actually like what I write. You have no idea. ♥
> 
> I have another project in the works, it focuses mostly on Shiro and Allura in a 1880's-1910's setting. So keep an eye out for that. 
> 
>  
> 
> hmu sometime at;
> 
> tumblr @in-tomany-fandoms  
> deviantart @sakya-chan
> 
> Thank's again for reading! I hope you liked it! ;)


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